A Darkness Descending (OG version)
by Totem-Mimikyu
Summary: [Original Version] After 3 years, a reunion has happened, a promise kept. Ash has returned to visit Altomare with his Alolan classmates. But what choices must be made once an unknown and seemingly sinister organization pops up? What choices must be made to protect the sanctity of life? And, should it come to it... What sacrifices?
1. A Valentine Reunion

**This will be interesting. My first fanfiction, I will be learning as much as I will be writing. So, hopefully a lot.**

**I decided to rewrite it today, for Valentine's day.**

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**A Valentine Reunion**

Love was in the air, as they say, for the couples in Alto mare. Everywhere, people were holding hands and giggling as they enjoyed Valentine's day. Restaurants were serving red and pink desserts; shops selling many varieties of pendants and rings and other such items. Flowers hung from every basket, swaying in the gentle breeze, kisses shared underneath. No one was lonely on this special day.

Well, almost no one. For one red dragoness, this felt like the loneliest time in her life.

As per her daily ritual, Latias was making her rounds, keeping her eyes out for any trouble-makers and low-lifes. Overall, it wasn't too much of a hassle. But today…. today was different. Every Valentine's day was different, and not in a good way. Three years of loneliness. Three years of sorrow. Three years since he left…

Her brother, she knew, always sympathized for her. Every day, the dull ache was kept back, at least temporarily, by the knowledge her brother was safe. Mew also popped in occasionally to keep her company. But every year, on Valentine's Day, that dull ache was multiplied for every happy couple she saw.

This sorrow she felt, this misery, was only brought about because she allowed herself to fall for a human. A trainer, and a young one at that.

But seeing his cheerful face, his positive outlook, and complete and utter concern in all things living… was just too much to resist. It certainly didn't help that he saved not only her life and her brother's, but also all of Altomare. He was, in her eyes, the perfect mate.

But having to see him leave nearly tore her asunder. She knew she couldn't have kept him here. His journey wouldn't allow it; her brother wouldn't have allowed it; and her desire to make him happy wouldn't allow it, for Latias knew he couldn't be happy unless he was journeying.

As she soared between buildings and through canals, Latias eyed any kissing couples she saw. A light blush developed as she remembered the kiss she gave him when he left. While not on the lips, it was close enough. It had taken all of her willpower not to climb into the boat with him.

Invisible, she shot out of a canal, spinning to get the water droplets off her feathers. As she climbed higher, she gave a mental sigh. Latias was determined to make this a better day. She sped off towards the docks, keen on finishing her rounds.

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"Alright, class! All aboard now, with Extreme Speed!" Professor Kukui exclaimed as everyone eagerly did as he asked. Kiawe and Sophocles were chatting as they approached the front of the mini yacht. Lana and Popplio, who was sitting comfortably in her arms, were at the railing, peering out at their destination over the stretch of water. Lille and Snowy drifted towards the back of the boat, with Professor Burnet following them. Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder as always, immediately joined Kiawe and Sophocles. Pikachu was knocked off Ash's shoulder as Togedemaru tackled him and nuzzled him. Pikachu sweatdropped and Ash laughed, before turning his attention back to his two companions. Mallow kept her eyes on the raven haired trainer, before joining Lana. She kept discreetly shooting glances at Ash, with Tsareena lightly snickering behind her.

Finally, Professor Kukui boarded, nodding in satisfaction as he observed his class. They had all been doing very well. So well, in fact, he decided a trip to observe the Johto region would be an excellent reward. As was expected, nearly everyone was besides themselves with excitement, except for Ash, who had already traveled through that region.  
They had spent practically a week in Johto, longer than they had in Kanto. Their final destination in Johto before leaving would be somewhere Ash visited once before. Someplace he promised to visit again.

Or so he said. Kukui was on board with going to Alto mare, as it wasn't too much of a hassle. Not to mention the rumors of it being guarded by Legendary pokemon. The chance was too good to miss.

As the lines were pulled on board and wrapped around their respective cleats, the boat pulled away from harbor. The students cheered, before the Professor called them together. While the class drew near, Mallow had other plans. She was looking at Ash every now and then, stealing glances whenever she could at him while casually drifting closer to him instead. She couldn't keep still as she rocked back and forth on her toes and heels. It was obvious she had developed some sort of amorous feelings for the raven haired trainer; and everybody had noticed.

'That girl couldn't keep her eyes off of him even if she wanted to,' Kukui thought, smirking at the adorable scene unfolding in front of his eyes.

''Hey,'' Kiawe whispered to Sophocles as he nudged him, ''do you think Ash will ever notice Mallow's affections?''

''Not in a million years,'' he hissed back with a chuckle. ''Even if she kissed him straight on the lips he would pass it off as something completely normal.''

Lana and Lillie just looked at each other and giggled, both thinking the same thing while Burnet shook her head. 'How can he be denser than a pack of rocks?' she thought incredulously.

Pikachu just sweatdropped at his trainer. 'Really, Ash?' he thought. 'How many girls will it take before you finally notice one?' He was about to give his trainer some help when Togedemaru decided it was a good time to hug-tackle him once more." Ash, of course, was oblivious to all this as he eagerly turned his attention to the professor. Noticing this, Kukui cleared his throat before speaking. "Alright, class. We'll spend a night or so in Altomare. Ash, that should give you plenty of time to reunite with whoever it was you made your promise to."

At that, everyone shot a glance at Ash, mildly surprised. Mallow had a slight frown on her face, as everyone looked back at the professor.

"This happens to be a perfect time to visit Altomare, as a matter of fact. The city has a very rich history, Valentine's Day being one of the most deep-rooted. They take romance quite seriously there, especially today. All in all, a good learning experience." At the last part, almost everyone looked at Mallow, whose cheeks burned.

Ash just nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.

Professor Burnet looked at Kukui and winked, before saying, "Are you finished, Professor? I'm sure the class would like to get back to talking. And I'm sure Lana would like to look at the water pokemon some more." Professor Kukui chuckled and nodded, before dismissing them.

As they drifted away again, Burnet looked at him and asked, "Think you'll see those legendaries?"  
He replied, "I hope so. It would be a great opportunity to learn something. However, they are just rumors. Chances are, this will be just a simple visit."

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Latias floated invisible above the docks, observing the mainland in the distance. She could see a good sized boat leaving it's harbor, before turning and… heading here? While it wasn't a rare event to see tourists, it wasn't very common either, especially with boats of that size. Typically, every few days, they would get smaller boats that delivered produce and such before leaving again, with one or two others containing tourists. But to see a boat that sized was a new one.

She observed it for a minute, before sighing and heading back towards the gardens and her brother. With any luck, Mew would be there as well. Since the flying pink menace had taken it upon herself to make Latias her playmate, she was rarely bored for too long. Bianca wouldn't be available until a little bit later, and Lorenzo was taking care of business at the museum. Seems like another lonely day, another lonely Valentine's Day.

Had she stayed, she might have noticed a cure for her loneliness on the boat, a pikachu on his shoulder.

Softly humming to herself, she sped through the invisible barrier and into the Secret Garden. With a loud coo, she announced her arrival to Latios. Shedding her invisibility, she looked around for her brother…. Before her eyesight cut out as a small shape glomped on to it.

She panicked for a moment, before she realized what, or rather who, it was.

Mew giggled as she peeled herself off, blue eyes shining with mirth. "Hey, Lati! Has it been a boring week without me?"

Latias rolled her eyes good-naturedly before replying dryly, "Yes Mew, it certainly has. I thought I asked you not to do that."

The little feline nodded, smiling. "You did! I just chose it. At least for today, anyway."  
Latias laughed softly, until Mew spoke again. "Anything happen while you were flying around today, Lati?"

The red dragoness sighed and nodded. "Yes. I noticed a lot of kissing couples. Like I do everytime Valentine's Day comes around."

She paused, before continuing thoughtfully, "I did see a fairly-large boat leave Johto. It seems to be coming here, which is quite unusual. Did you notice that at any time?"

Mew instantly got a wicked smirk on her face. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I got right up close and personal with it, too. I was invisible, so they couldn't see me, but oh, I could see them." At that, the smirk on her face got larger.

Lati paused, wondering at the expression, and then asking "What's so funny?"

Mew shook her head quickly. "That's for you to find out, dear. I wouldn't want to spoil it."  
Latias huffed. "I'm guessing you teleported back here in time to annoy me?"

The cat nodded as her tail flicked around. "I did. Normally I wouldn't have, but…" The smirk came back. "You know what I think we should do, Lati?"

She mentally groaned. This had better not be something stupid-

"I think we should wait by the docks and see who comes off that boat."

Latias blinked. That….actually wasn't a bad idea. She slowly nodded, before realizing. "Wait, shouldn't I check on Latios first?" Mew shook her head. "Nah, that grump is still asleep. He'll be fine."

Latias hesitated. "Are you sure? You know he can still be a touch over protective."

The pink feline rolled her eyes, before replying. "Please. Should he make a fuss, I'll just remind him that if _I _hadn't have been there to help, he would have died with the tsunami." And with the, she shimmered with light, before a teen-aged girl appeared, with long and vibrant pink hair. Latias (mentally) shrugged, before light surrounded her as well.

She had been working on a form of her own, as one time she had accidentally gotten Bianca into trouble by using her form. She did keep the same clothing, but now, her hair was long and very red, to match her natural form's feathers.

Mew took her hand and led her out of the garden. "Let's hurry up, I wanna get there before the boat gets here." The pink haired girl turned back to her red haired companion with another smirk, before dragging her off.

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As they drew closer to the island city of Alto mare, Ash got more eager. He remembered his previous adventure here. He remembered his promise, which he finally got to fulfill. A promise made at 11 years of age, a promise kept at 14.

The raven haired strainer rubbed Pikachu's cheeks as he observed the city. "Hope everyone is doing okay, buddy."

After about 10 minutes, they finally reached the docks. As the helmsman tied the boat to the docks, everyone was waiting for the go-ahead. Ash and Pikachu were a bit antsy, the trainer most of all. Their patience was rewarded a few minutes later, and the class quickly got off the boat and onto the sturdy wood dock. Ash looked around the area, seeing the city again. Close by were a few shops that weren't there before, including a coffee house. Two of the customers there seemed to draw his eye, although he couldn't really put a finger on why. One of them, who had deep, long red hair, had her back towards them. The other was facing towards the sea, with vibrant pink hair. As Ash's classmates huddled around, looking at everything they could, he and the pink-haired girl's eyes met and locked. She seemed to have an enormous smirk on her face, as she nudged her companion and nodded towards him.

He watched as the red haired girl turn around, seemingly slightly curious, before her eyes met his. There seemed to be something familiar about her….  
He shook the thought as her mouth opened slightly, her eyes wondering, and she slowly got up… and sort of stumbled towards him.

By now, Ash was severely confused. Did he know this girl? He didn't think he would forget a pretty face like that.

When the girl got with 15 feet, she just stopped, before whispering, "...Ash?"

**Author's note:**

**I must thank ARCEUS-Master for inspiration to write, for without him, this never would have happened.**

**Syrup-Waffle must also be recognized, because he guided me into the proper way to write, and without him, my story would grow into a mess. Not to mention he helped with this chapter. The dialogue on the boat would have been lacking without him.**

**And finally, thank to the Warmongers of Simora, for inspiration of the timeline. while that might not seem like much, as it was an accident, their story helped me when I needed to figure out when my story would take place.**

**With the thanks out of the way...**

**Criticism, ****_helpful_**** criticism, is welcomed. I cannot grow without it, But I will ignore the trolls and whatnot out there. Here's what I have to say; If you feel the story has potential, feel free to give insight. If you don't, then don't be a dickhead about it.**

**This story will become better, I promise. The chapters will be longer, the dialogue a lot better (I still haven't gotten it quite down), and the plot clearer.  
Hopefully.**

**Anyways, Mimikyu out!**


	2. A Valentine Reunion: Part 2

**Here it is, the second chapter.**

**Some replies to the reviews:**

**Dragonboy2609: "From this, I can tell you put quite a bit of thought into it. Interesting idea, having it start from Alola. Interesting read so far. Can't wait for more!"**

**Read "Ash's Just Reward", written by The Warmongers of Simora. It also has Ash in the Alolan region. Give it a read, you won't regret it.**

**Guest: "I hope this will be an Altoshipping story, with a happy ending."**

**To that I say… just going to have to wait and see! :)**

**Delta4Phoenix: "Very well written. I only saw some minor errors, but nothing big. You stayed true to the characters and immediately explained with Latios ain't six feet under. Keep up the good work. (Yes, my reviews are always that short. I am not Arcy.)"**

**Hopefully, the errors are fixed. I will always be on the lookout for mistakes to fix.**

**Syrup-Waffle: "..."**

**To the super long review you posted, I definitely will take all that into consideration, and have made appropriate actions to remedy the situation.**

**Now. Onto the main course.**

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A Valentine Reunion: Part 2

Ash blinked rapidly, no less confused than he was a minute ago. After a few moments of racking his brain, he just decided to give up, and asked, "I'm sorry, but… do I know you?"

Pikachu hopped down from his trainer's shoulder and approached the strange girl. He cautiously sniffed her. He frowned; she definitely smelled familiar, but he couldn't quite put a paw on it. So who in Arceus's name was she? By now, the whole class had noticed the current situation. Lana and Lillie took one look at the girl's face and immediately threw a mildly concerned look towards Mallow. Kiawe and Sophocles hadn't quite picked up on what the two girls did, and just looked at each other in slight confusion.

Kiawe quietly muttered to Sophocles, "I suppose you have no clue what's happening either?" The round boy merely shook his head, bemused.

Professors Kukui and Burnet stood next to each other with their hands on their hips, surveying what was happening. Eventually, everyone who wasn't Ash or the girl turned to look at Mallow… who was sporting a heavy scowl on her face. She thought angrily to herself, "Whoever this girl is, I will not lose to her." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, before speaking up in a less-than-amused tone. "So, Ash, care to introduce us to your friend?"

Ash tore his gaze away from the girl to look at Mallow. "I would love to, except I don't think her and I have met before. Well, I'm pretty sure we haven't. I don't remember her."

At that the girl looked visibly crestfallen, before glancing back at the pink-haired girl, still sitting at the coffee shop. She seemed to give an encouraging nod, to which the red-haired girl took a deep breath and looked back at Ash.

"We have met before, Ash. About 3 years ago, in fact."

At that, Pikachu's eyes widened considerably. So that's who she was! A different form, maybe, but the smell was the same. Pikachu gently swatted his trainer's leg with his tail, before excitedly pointing at the not-so stranger and giving out loud pikas.

Ash looked down at Pikachu, mouth opening in a question before he, in a rare stroke of intelligence, had a revelation. His eyes shot back up towards the girl, a smile forming on his face. "Woah, is it really you, La-?" Pikachu, knowing his trainer was about to stupidly expose her identity to everyone around them, promptly fired a thundershock at Ash. The attack only lasted a moment, but it was enough to shut him up… along with covering him in a layer of… ash.

The girl covered her mouth with her hands in horror, while Ash's classmates collectively sweatdropped. No matter the situation, they could trust Ash to get shocked in some fashion, typically from Pikachu. However, this was not enough to distract Mallow from her question.

"Well, Ash? It appears to me you do know her after all."

The class collectively winced, hearing the slight bit of venom in her words. Ash, having not noticed such a thing, nodded as he dusted himself off. "Yup. Everyone, meet… Bianca. She's an old friend, back when I first visited Alto mare."

Pikachu shot a look at him, pleased he remembered not to use her real name, but also annoyed. That meant if they met the real Bianca, there would be questions. Ones, he was sure, Latias might not wish to answer right away.

Ash then looked back at Latias with a grin, "How are you doing, by the way? I'm sorry, I should have asked that-"

He was cut off as Latias recovered and leaped at him with a bone-crushing hug. He blinked for a moment, before gently hugging her as well. Ash could hear her lightly crying.

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Latias kept him in a vice-like grip, burying her head in his chest and sniffling. Never in a million years did she expect to reunite with him. She had hoped, sure, but that was all. After a minute or so, she gently let go of him, her eyes a little red. Latias looked up at him, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. He was more attractive than he had been three years ago; taller, tanner, and a stronger, if the lean muscles were anything to go by. She looked away, not wanting to give any feelings away. Not yet.

She finally looked behind him, seeing a group of people. Ash seemingly noticed this. "L- Bianca, these are my friends I'd like you to meet."

He pointed at the two tallest, who looked like adults. Ash pointed at the male, who smiled and waved. "That's Professor Kukui. He teaches at the Pokemon school I go to in Alola." The professor was wearing a long white coat and gray pants, but didn't seem to be wearing a shirt. A hat adorned his head, black-brown hair pulled back into a bun.

Latias blinked, before smiling and waving back.

The female beside him had very white hair, pulled back in a messy half-bun. She wore a gray top, black yoga pants, a light jacket tied around her waist. She too smiled, before introducing herself. "I'm Professor Burnet. I'm married to Kukui. I work at a research lab in Alola." Latias nodded an greeted her, feeling more at ease.

The shortest was a short haired bluenette, wearing a white top and blue baggy pants. A strange Pokemon was next to her, almost resembling a seel, but blue. The bluenette spoke up in a soft voice. "Hi, Bianca. I'm Lana. And this," she pointed at the pokemon, "is Popplio." Popplio clapped it's fins together and barked happily. Latias giggled, and waved at her. A pale blonde standing next to the bluenette spoke up next, momentarily looking down at the strangely white Vulpix in her arms. "I'm Lillie. Nice to meet you! This is Snowy." The white Pokemon let out a soft "Vul!" The girl wore an equally white sundress, a pack over her shoulders.

A little bit to the side of the girls stepped forward. The dark-skinned male, who for some reason lacked a shirt, had a small smile as he spoke up. "Hey. I'm Kiawe. It's a pleasure." He was fairly well muscled. On his left wrist, he wore a strange white bracelet. On his left was a round boy, the polar opposite of his taller friend. He looked up at Latias with a large smile and said, "Hi! I'm Sophocles. I'd like you to meet Charjabug and Togedemaru." In front of him was a box of a Pokemon, green in color. The boy spoke up again, sounding confused. "Where's Togedemaru?"

A loud exclamation answered that as everyone turned to watch as a ball-like pokemon cuddled up to Pikachu, who sweat dropped.

Latias turned as she heard someone step closer. The source was a fairly tall green haired girl, with overalls of some kind and very short shorts. With a slight frown, the girl introduced herself. "I'm Mallow. This here," she gestured behind her, "is Tsareena." A plant-like Pokemon stepped into view. It, she, flipped it's petal-like hair. The Pokemon looked very aloof, but Latias could tell she cared for Mallow by the way she stuck close to her. The girl in question slightly shifted, drawing Latias's eyes into her own. While there was a smile on her face, it didn't completely reach her eyes. There seemed to be a spark in there, a touch of… what, exactly?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Mew calling out behind her. "That's all very well, but you forgot about me!"

The cat in disguise quickly skipped up to the group, pink hair flowing behind. When she got (rather alarmingly) close, she dug her feet into the wood of the docks, only to trip and fall right into Ash's arms.

Latias's eye twitched as she took a step forward, then stopped, and took a deep breath. Relax, Latias, no reason to do anything rash. No reason at all. It was merely an accident. This reassured her, until she saw Mew straighten up after thanking Ash for catching her, and shooting her a sly wink only she caught. Latias rolled her eyes, giving out a small sigh.

She cleared her throat, about to introduce the menace she called her friend.

"Alright. Everyone, this is my friend-"

"Hi! I'm Mew!" The cat beamed at everyone.

Latias froze with her jaw open, completely aghast. She blinked once, twice, three times. She couldn't let out a sound if she tried.

Finally, she broke from her shock-induced paralysis and looked around at the class. Thankfully, almost everyone had a look of incomprehension on their faces. Almost everyone. The two Professors, Kukui and Burnet, both had frowns as they shot a look at each other. Latias prayed to Arceus the belief Mew was considered to be a myth would prevent suspicion on their part. Ash and Pikachu on the other hand….

The trainer questioned with confusion apparent in his voice; "Huh?"

She turned to look at them, feeling very worried. While he was kind-hearted, he acted rashly when it came to saving her and Latios three years back, and she didn't have much hope he deviated from that. Hence why she silently plead to herself he would keep quiet, should he figure out the girl that proclaimed herself as Mew was, in fact, Mew. Latias wished she could tell him to shut up herself….

"Oh. I can."

Latias concentrated, reaching out a mental probe towards the Trainer. The probe got to him just as he opened his mouth.

She pushed a little further, before she accomplished complete mental connection. She was mildly proud of herself; she had only been doing this for less than a month, and it was almost never this easy. Was it because….? Latias pushed that to the back of her mind, while focused on his. Latias shivered as she felt his mind, her cheeks heating up. She could feel his very soul, his pure heart. She could feel his love for Pokemon, and could sense his complete obliviousness of her own emotions.

All in all, she could feel what it meant to be Ash Ketchum.

She shook her head. She had no time for this. For the first time, she spoke to him directly through his young mind.

"Ash. Don't say anything. Please."

Ash jolted around, eyes showing utter confusion, before they met hers. As his brown eyes stared into her honey-brown eyes, she practically melted. Her stomach twisted, her heart beat faster, and her cheeks warmed up considerably. She struggled to push it aside, trying to ignore how much the young boy took her breath away.

She spoke again in his mind, "yes, it's me, Latias. Don't say anything about Mew, not yet. She might have a complete disregard for discretion, but I don't."

Ash opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, before nodding slowly.

Content, Latias withdrew her mind from his, although she did so with some reluctance. She looked around, discreetly trying to gauge Ash's classmates' reactions. The two professors seemed to have disregarded Mew's introduction, as they were both chatting to each other calmly. However, every once and awhile, Kukui would glance over at her pink-haired friend. Trying not to show her unease, Latias turned her attention to everyone else. Like the professors, they didn't seem to have their attention on Mew anymore, as they too talked amongst each other. The blonde, Latias noted, seemed just a thoughtful as Kukui, also shooting Mew curious looks from time to time. But wait, one of them wasn't talking at all….

Mallow, the green-haired girl, appeared to be glaring at Latias, crossing her arms stiffly as she did so. Latias was a touch unnerved, wondering what she had done to already have attracted negative attention from the other girl. She was about to find out with a mental probe when a hand grabbed her own, making her jump. She turned and blushed, seeing it was Ash who had initiated contact.

He didn't give her time to question it as he looked to her eagerly, and ask, "Come on, aren't you gonna let them meet your family?"

Latias glanced at their hand holding again, her blush deepening, before replying. "Lorenzo is working at the museum, and Bianca is working on art, I think, over on the other side of the city. My brother-"

"Wait, Bianca?"

Latias froze as Lillie voiced her confusion. I'm so stupid. Stupid, stupid.

Lille continued, further digging Latias into a pit. "But, you're Bianca. Unless, your friend's name is Bianca as well?"

The dragoness in disguise slowly nodded her head. She turned to Ash, as she sighed. "I guess I know where we're going, now. You all seem trustworthy enough, so... it's time to visit my brother."

She started to drag Ash off, reluctant to let go of him as she led them to the Secret Garden, before Mallow's indignant shout stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey, what do you mean we seem trustworthy enough?"

She didn't get a response as Latias strode forward once more, still hanging on to Ash's hand.

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Mew was ecstatic. Her plan worked out beautifully, every step of it. From drawing Latias to the docks, to her "accidentally" as a trainer, he was liable to slip up and make mistakes.

In fact, she was counting on it. She knew Latias would expect him to make a remark about her name and probably hair. This would have no doubt caught the attention of the Professors. Even if it seemed ludicrous at first, Mew figured they would put some thought into it. She knew Latias would want to prevent that. She knew the dragoness was also eager to try out her blooming psychic powers. Something Mew was glad Latias didn't use to see who was on the boat before it pulled in.

She was glad, however, Latias used the probe to shut Ash up. Not because she was in any danger, but because it would give Latias the chance to really know the young boy. Mew saw her friend's reaction when she entered his mind. It was something she was hoping for. Not only was it great teasing ammo, but it meant she could finally convince Latias just how much she cared for him. Despite her grumblings otherwise.

Everything had gone according to plan.

Well, almost everything. That green-haired loudmouth was going to be trouble for her cause. Mew just knew it. As much as she'd like to turn her mind into a potato, she couldn't. Ash would be furious, and he might take that out on Latias. And that was definitely not worth it.

Humming songs to herself that were older than the waters surrounding the city, Mew skipped ahead of the others, sticking her tongue out at random passerby and watching their confused reactions.

She was unaware of Kukui's thoughtful, and narrowed, gaze.

**Author's note: B minor.**

**All joking aside... Greetings! Welcome back, to another chapter. I apologize for it taking as long as it did, as well as it not being as long as I'd like it to be. I think what I'll do is gradually increase the length of the chapters. Nothing too crazy. This is just so I can not only get in more content per update, but so I can get used to writing more and more.**

**The implications:  
More detail.  
****Better dialogue (this is _desperately_ needed)  
Greater fun (I guess?)**

**Anyways, thanks for reading. Remember, read and review! Criticism is helpful, so long as you are trying to be helpful.**

**And what do you think of me putting answers to reviews at the beginning of the chapter? I feel if someone has a question, it could get answered for everyone without them having to check the reviews manually.  
Should I stick to just having answers at the beginning instead of just responses to miscellaneous things? Yes I should!**

**But let me know. For now, I'm out!**

**~Mimikyu**


	3. Suspicions Addressed

**Chapter 3! On with the show!**

**A Family that keeps on teasing **

Latios, as one would say, was not a happy dragon. Not in the slightest. Not because he woke up from his nap with Latias in his face, but because he didn't. Everyday, without fail, Latias would poke him awake after she came home from her shifts. The fact that she didn't this time annoyed and worried him. While she could have been out with Mew and forgotten to check with him, he did not want to take any chances. Not since the incident that nearly destroyed Alto mare and nearly his own life. Thanks to those over-zealous Team Rocket members, the entire city almost sank, and thanks to them, he would've gone with it. Lucky for him (and Alto mare), Mew just happened to teleport there in time to see the wave, and the twins flying off to stop it. With her superior abilities, she joined in on them and effortlessly stopped the wave with an enormous psychic blast. Luckily, barely anyone had been affected by it, Ash being one of them. When the trio had flown back, they found the young trainer, knocked out on the docks. Latias, he noted, had practically panicked, until the boy woke up barely a minute later. He also remembered Mew altering him and his friend's memories of her, making them believe the twins took care of the "problem" on their own. Lorenzo and Bianca had been spared, as they had encountered and interacted with Mew multiple times, although all accidentally. Mew almost removed Ash's entire memory of that night, as well as ever meeting the dragons. Latias had begged her not to do that, not wanting Ash to forget about her.

Latios's eyes narrowed. Latias…. He growled, annoyed that he allowed himself to become distracted from the main issue. Latios shimmered, before becoming invisible. He shot through the barrier and up into the sky, intent on trying to find his sister.

After a few moments, he found her, as well as Mew. And…. no, surely he was mistaken. _Maybe I'm still groggy.._  
Latios flew a little bit above them, his mouth opening in rare shock. Ash…?

Latias seemed to feel his presence, looking up and appearing to look for him. He heard her voice in his head. "...Latios? You're awake!" He growled back, "Yes, I am." He paused, before continuing. "I see you found someone… special."

Latias blushed, turning her head forward again, while leading Ash… and a large group.

He frowned. "Latias, who are these people? And where, for Mother Arceus's sake, are you taking them?"  
She didn't speak for a minute, before hesitantly replying, "Well, I was going to take them to you…"

"And why is that?"

Latias looked a bit guilty as she responded. "I might have made a mistake earlier."  
He sighed, not very please, but not surprised, either. "What did you do, confess to him?"

He smirked as Latias blushed even harder. "No! Why would you think that?"

Latios didn't respond to that, too busy chuckling. He backed off some, before telling her, "Take them to Lorenzo's. He's back from the museum." She seemed to frown. "I was going to take them to the Garden… but alright."

Latios nodded in satisfaction, before flying home. He thanked Mew's obliviousness, or her choice of not speaking with him. No matter she was an ancient Legendary; she is, and always will be, a pest.

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Ash hoped Latias was ok. While she was dragging them (or more accurately him) along, she seemed to get red occasionally. Just a minute ago, her whole face appeared to be blazing. Was she ill? He spoke up, "La- Bianca, are you alright? You're not sick or anything, are you?" She glanced back at him, appearing confused. "I'm not sick. Why do you ask?" He nodded, thankful she was fine. "Well, I saw your face and neck get red a few times. In fact, just a while ago, your neck was super red."  
At that, she seemed to get red again. Behind them, he heard a snort. A voice, probably Sophocles, quietly muttered what sounded like, "Denser than a pile of rocks.…" He disregarded this, as Latias responded, "No Ash, I'm fine. But, thank you for caring." At that, she seemed to get redder, before she faced forward once more. Up ahead, the pink-haired girl giggled, before zooming off towards a fountain nearby. Ash focused on her. He frowned, thinking. Was that really Mew? She seemed rather carefree, for a legendary. But then again, Latias had been super playful when he was in Alto mare the first time. He also remembered the Mew from the Tree of Beginning. That one had been playful as well… at least, when the Tree hadn't been trying to eat everyone, that is. Was this the same Mew?  
He was broken from his thoughts when Latias announced, "We're here."

Ash was a bit surprised to see a house. Were they not going to the garden? He then remembered there was a large amount of people with them, and that Latias didn't have too much reason to trust them just yet. He asked her, "Is this Lorenzo's place?" The disguised dragoness nodded as she knocked on the door. "Yes, it is. Close enough to the garden where he can get there quickly, while still being able to go to shops and such. Secluded, but not overly so."

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing an old man- Lorenzo. "Ah, how are you, my dear..?" He finally seemed to notice Ash beside her. "Ash! Is that really you, my boy? How have you been?"

Ash rubbed his neck sheepishly, before replying. "Hey Lorenzo. I'm doing alright, I guess. I've been going to school over at Alola. These are my friends, and that's Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet."

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Professor Kukui raised his hand in greeting, his ever present smile showing on his face, while his wife did the same. He stepped forward to introduce himself. "Hey there! I'm Professor Kukui, I teach over at the Pokemon school. Professor Burnet here is my wife, and these are my students."

At that, the class started introducing themselves to the old man. Seeing them momentarily distracted allowed him to focus on more important items. Namely, the red-haired girl. While seemingly ordinary enough, her friendship with the other girl (who Kukui very much suspected could be the real Mew) and the claim that both her and the other friend she mentioned shared the same name tipped him off that she was more than she seemed. If the pink-haired girl really was Mew, that raised several questions as to the identity of the red head. Was she a Pokemon too? If so, which one? Was she perhaps a Zoroark? If she was, what was her attachment to Ash-?

His thoughts were interrupted as Burnet spoke quietly into his ear. "Is it just me, or do both those girls seem a bit off to you?"

He shook his head. "No, I believe so, too. That hyper girl, with the pink hair… what are your thoughts?"

"I can't really be sure. I mean, she said her name was "Mew", which is a name I have never heard a human having. Maybe the parents are a fan?"

Kukui rubbed his forehead. "Somehow, I don't think so. Very, very few people have heard of Mew. All, or most, are researchers and professors. I say we should just keep our distance. For the time being, that is."

His wife nodded in agreement, before a thoughtful look took over her excited one. "Then, the red-haired girl… what do you think of her?"

He turned to look at the subject of her question, who was currently still holding Ash's hand. "I… don't know. She said her name was Bianca, but then she mentioned her other friend, whoever that may be, was also called Bianca. On top of that, it looked to me like she made a mistake in saying it. Although, she does appear to be rather… attached to Ash. Probably something that happened when he was first here. Anyway, whoever they are, whatever they are, there is more to both of them than meets the eye."

Burnet huffed in agreement, before smirking. "Whatever the case, it seems Mallow has competition."

Kukui only laughed quietly.

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Latias was barely paying attention to the class as they introduced themselves. She wasn't even paying attention to Ash, whose hand she noticed she was still holding. No, her focus was behind her, at the two professors. Nothing about them seemed malicious, but she couldn't help but feel nervous as they talked about Mew. Although, it was a bit of a relief that they didn't suspect anything… hopefully.  
However, Latias was less than thrilled when the professors began talking about her. It had been her own fault, really, making that slip up, but she hadn't been thinking. At least, not as much as she should have. She had been too focused on Ash grabbing her hand to use her head properly.

Now, that was coming back to bite her.

Her cheeks lightly flamed as they commented about her bond with Ash. How obvious was it? It seemed everyone but Ash could see her… affection. However, Burnet's last comment made her frown. Mallow? Competition? She threw a glance at the green haired girl that was currently enraptured by Lorenzo. Did that girl really have feelings for Ash? The mere thought put a scowl on her face as a spear of jealousy lanced through her. If she had competition, she would make sure it didn't last…. She took a deep breath. Maybe she was being a bit over dramatic. Maybe the professors were talking about a different kind of competition, although she didn't know what for. Latias debated whether or not to inspect Mallow's mind, when a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Alright, Bianca, have fun."

She jumped, startled as she looked around to find Mew some ways off, looking back at her. Latias frowned, and asked, "Are you leaving so soon?"

The disguised cat nodded as she stretched, before replying. "Yup! I've done what I came here to do. Plus, I'm bored. I'm going to go annoy Dialga for a while!"

And with that, she disappeared around the corner, before a pop was heard.

Latias groaned. Mew was going to get into serious trouble, saying things like that with strangers around. Taking a look around, she noted the class hadn't been paying attention to their exchange. Instead, Lorenzo was holding their interest, telling them the legends of Alto mare. She spared a glance at the Professors. They were both staring at her; Burnet seemed merely intrigued. Kukui looked expressionless.

She quickly looked away, cursing to herself. She needed a distraction. A pit of excitement grew in her stomach as she thought of an idea .Latias subtly tugged Ash's wrist. As he looked over at her, she quietly spoke to him, "Come on."

He looked questionably at her.

Latias rolled her eyes, before pulling him away. "I want to show you something."

And with that, the two slipped away, virtually unnoticed.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

All was not well back in Alola. Quite the opposite. The figure walking slowly through smoking debris, deep in the forests, was the source of the trouble.

The being was covered head to toe in a tight fitting black armor, with bits of purple strategically placed here and there. A black, ragged cloak covered the torso, while an eerie matching helmet encased the head. Boots crushed pieces of the wreckage into pieces of ash as they were stepped on.

Every footfall brought the figure closer to five others, not including the shapes standing behind them.

These, however, were not as free as the one walking towards them. They were on their knees, hands tied behind their backs. Two were female, while the other three were male.  
All five wore black gang-like clothing, with a skull-like necklace around each of their necks and white caps on their heads. Bandanas lay in front of each, some of them slightly burnt.  
The two females were wheezing from the smoke, while two of their male compatriots were looking at the ground in defeat. The last one was looking up at the approaching figure, a look of defiance on his face. When he spoke, his voice was slightly raspy. "Who do you think you are, messing with Team Skull? Our boy Guzma-"  
The figure flicked their hand, and one of the shapes standing behind the brave (or foolish) Team Skull grunt brought a heavy branch-like limb down, knocking the grunt to the ground. The four others all flinched, and the struck member groaned as he picked himself back up into his previous position. He didn't dare speak up again.

The figure stopped some feet in front of them, and bent down slightly to inspect each. None of the gang members had the courage to look up into the gaze of their captor.

_Worthless. Incompetent. Waste of time._

The figure straightened up, pulling black spheres out from underneath the cloak. With bursts of sickly looking yellow light, the shapes behind the captives were sucked in.

Wordlessy, the figure turned and walked off into the dark woods, abandoning the weakened and wounded grunts where they kneeled.

_Did they leave? Or, was I lied to?_

The individual reached a cliffside, peering out over the ocean.

_Ash Ketchum… I will find you._

**Author's Note:**  
**Happy Pokemon Day! As I've expected (along with everyone else), we got a Gen 8 reveal today. I must say, I am very excited. The starters don't look half bad. I'm gonna have to go with Sobble. I have created a poll; let me know which starter you'd choose. Located on my profile.**

**Alright, onward to the meat of the matter. Someone was kind enough to point out the deal with the suspicion of Mew. I hope I addressed that properly in this, as it was a review I found helpful. Unfortunately, the "reviews" I get are typically not helpful in fixing things like that.**  
**In this chapter, introduced to Lorenzo. Thoughtful chit chat between the professors, and a Latias whose not happy with the idea of competing for Ash. After all, she knew him long before any of the Alolan crew.**  
**And the end of the chapter…. I must say, of all the bits I will enjoy writing, this unknown person will probably be my favorite. After all, they are my OC. Aren't OCs fun?**  
**This OC will not be like Team Rocket. That is all I have to say about it for now.**  
**Anyway, thanks for tuning in. Glad I got this out in time for Pokemon Day!**

**See ya next time,**

**~Mimikyu**


	4. Just like old times

**Ya boi Mimikyu is here, with another chapter! **

**I'd like to personally thank ItsYeBoiGuzma for taking the time to review and point out the weaknesses of previous chapters. Rest assured, I do plan on doing better.**

**I ****_am_**** in need of a beta reader, to help with that. If at all interested, just shoot me a PM and we can discuss it.**

**Now, as they say... On with the show!**

**Just like old times**

The red dragoness giggled as she led the trainer through the streets, his hand in hers. _  
Just like old_ _times, _she thought with a blush.

He seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he was grinning at her when she turned to look behind at him. At that very moment, their eyes locked. Latias felt that same sensation as she did back at the docks; her cheeks flamed, her stomach twisted, and her heart threatened to burst out of her chest.

And she tripped. Rather unceremoniously. In fact, she almost face-planted, which Ash miraculously prevented by pulling her close as she fell and turning, resulting in him landing on his back.

With her on top of him.

Latias was mortified. She about wanted to die of embarrassment right then. _Not even a few minutes in, and this happens. Oh Arceus, what could Ash be thinking of this? _

She turned to look at him to see his expression. There was nothing that even suggested he was the least bit shy, but there was a plethora of concern on his face.

"Are you alright, Latias?" He asked as he sat up. She nodded her head, looking away shyly. Suddenly, she noticed she was sitting on his lap. Latias quickly got up and dusted herself off. "Y-yes, Ash," she replied shakily. She added with an ever deeper blush, "Thank you for catching me. That was super sweet of you... But you really didn't have to." Ash got up as well, wiping the dirt off his shorts. He looked up at her, with a confused smile on his face. "Of course I had to. I care about you, you know. I didn't want you to get hurt." Latias looked at him with a soft expression, not saying anything. He stretched, before turning back to her and asking, "Now, where to?" She lightly jumped, startled before letting out a pent-up breathe and responding, "This way. It's not too far." She turned and walked off again, hiding her expression. The feelings inside her grew, and she did _not_ want them to reveal themselves. At least, not yet.

Ash hurried up to her side, glancing around as he did. She noticed, and inquired, "What are you looking for, Ash?" The trainer jumped a little, before looking at her and replying, "Uh, Pikachu. I can't believe I didn't notice earlier, but... I don't think he followed me- er, us."

She tilted her head as she responded, "Relax. Chances are, he's back with Lorenzo and your friends." He nodded, a slight frown. "Yeah... I'm just so used to him being with me."

Latias smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry about it, Ash. If we come across any trouble, I'm more than capable of taking care of it. I _have_ been training, you know. I wasn't just sitting around in the three years you were gone." _No, but you _were_ moping on patrol about the fact that he _wasn't _here, _she thought. She flushed, before continuing. "Right now, it's just you and me." _You and me, just like how it should have been, and should always be. _Her stomach fluttered at the thought.

In the time it took for their little exchange, Latias and her companion arrived at their destination. A place even Ash, in all his forgetfulness, could remember. He slowly walked forward, a somewhat far-away look on his face. He seemed to smile. "The bridge... this is the place where..."

Latias nodded as she joined him in looking at the aforementioned structure, continuing for him, "Where we met, yes. The place where you saved me." She peeked at his face, wondering what he might be thinking. He still wore that distance look, until it was suddenly broken by a frown. She looked at him, concerned. "What is it, Ash?" He turned to face her, confusion evident as he replied, "But, this isn't where we met, exactly. We met at the Pokemon fountain, with Pikachu. Even though I didn't yet know who you were." Latias graced him with a smile, before taking his hand once more and bringing him over the bridge. She called over her shoulder, "You're right. So let me take you there, as well." And with that, she faced forward once more. She didn't really need to hold his hand, as the fountain was just around the corner. But the feel of it in hers was, in her mind, unmatched. _Well, unless of course you count that kiss, _she thought with a flushed face. The pair slowed, before finally stopping as they took in the rather unimpressive sight. It looked much the same as it had when Ash was here the first time. Latias sighed, thanking every Legendary she could think of for leading her to this spot, three years ago. Both her AND Ash. And Pikachu as well, she supposed. Speaking of the boy...

Ash walked forward, with Latias watching curiously. He stopped before the fountain and laid a hand on it. There he stood, not moving, as looked down at it, apparently lost in thought. After a moment, he gave the handle an experimental wiggle, before pulling it and releasing the water from the pipes. Ash let it flow for a few seconds, before turning it off again. The two stood there for a few minutes, the breeze rustling their hair, before he turned back to her. He wore a slight grin, with excitement clear in his eyes. He approached, before asking, "So, have another place you'd like to show me?"

Latias caught on to what he was saying, smiling at him and nodding. "Right this way."

Ash strode forward, following her as she led him once more. She wondered what Ash would think about being in the Garden again. When he last visited, they had played for a long time. She hoped they could do that once more. Maybe, even, she could convince Latios to leave the Garden for a bit. Then it really would be just the two of them. _Just the two of us..._ she thought with a sigh.

Her thoughts went away as they came across a wall. _The _wall. A wall they both stopped in front of, staring at it. Normally, she would be annoyed at all the stopping and staring at random objects. Who wouldn't?

However, everything her and Ash visited had meaning. The bridge, the fountain. This wall. All binded the two together in memory and friendship. And beyond this disguised gateway, more memories to be remembered. With all that in mind, she took a breath and stepped forward. Just as she was about to walk through, she turned to Ash, beckoning him with a finger. With that, she vanished through.

As she appeared on the other side, she remembered her previous thoughts. _Just like old times._ An idea struck her. A silly idea, to be sure, but a nostalgic one.

Knowing she only had seconds, she quickly ran down the path, between the mighty oaks that stood on either side. As she reached the intersection, she heard Ash calling out behind her.

"Latias?"

The dragoness turned and saw him looking around, before he finally noticed her. As he started towards her, she ran off once again, towards main area.

Once she arrived, Latias quickly sat on the swing and kicked her feet to start the motions.

As she swung back and forth, Ash stepped into view. Much the same as he had three years ago, he looked around the garden. He seemed to be in awe of the oasis, despite it not changing much.

Latias watched as he turned and saw her on the swing. He stood, before slowly approaching her. She continued swinging as he stopped next to her and watched.

Between them, no words were spoken. Silence, except for the creak of the swing and the splashes of the fountain. Occasionally, the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through them joined the symphony.

Ash finally broke the silence as he spoke. "Here. This swing; this is where we met properly."

Latias nodded, before giggling. "Indeed it is, Ash. This is also where you face-planted after I revealed myself to you."

At that, he flushed, before rubbing his neck awkwardly. "To be honest, I really wasn't expecting that."

She giggled as she got up from her seat and advanced towards him. Ash turned his head to look at her, only for her to walk behind him and gently push him towards the swing. He seemed to catch on quickly, and sat down onto it. Latias walked behind him, grasped onto the ropes holding it up, and stepped up onto the swing, kicking off as she did. The pair swung back and forth, feeling the wind gently brush their faces. Looking down at him, Latias blushed as she noticed Ash glancing up at her. Nostalgia coursed through her as she remembered a very similar situation. What pushed her to walk down memory lane, she couldn't say. All that mattered to her right now was playing and having fun with the trainer that made her heart do strange things.

Hoping he wouldn't face-plant again, she quickly released her disguise.

With a shimmer of blue, her red-haired form was replaced by her "real" body. As she no longer had legs, she used her levitation to keep afloat and continued to push the swing. She was relieved when Ash didn't fall off again, although he did stare at her in surprise.

"Er, Latias, are you... bigger?" He asked, startled.

She gave a small smile as she squealed her response. Rapidly remembering he couldn't understand her in this form, she once more entered his mind, shivering at the contact. _"Yes, Ash. I am bigger. Granted, not by much, but now I'm strong enough..."_

He tilted his head, confused, still swinging. "Strong enough? For what?"

_"To do this."_

Quick as can be, she quickly darted around the swing, grasped him close to her, and shot into the sky. He yelped when he felt them shoot through the air, wrapping his arms around her tightly. At this, she blushed, although her feathers prevented it from being too visible. She slowed to a stop as they got a few hundred feet off the ground. The nearby buildings would prevent a searching eye from seeing them, not to mention the Garden's magic kept anything above it hidden for twice what they were at now.

Latias felt Ash slightly tighten his grip on her. While this wasn't exactly undesirable, she did need to breathe. She spoke to him once more. _"Ash. Do you trust me?" _She felt a nod against her chest. She smiled, then resumed, _"Then I'm going to have to ask you to not panic. Don't worry. I won't let you fall." _Ash seemed to tense up, before asking, "What? What do you-" She grasped him with her psychic powers and gently pulled him away. She at him as he looked around, scared at first, before the fear turning into wonderment. Latias let him gaze at the city below them as she gently pulled his back to her, hugging him from behind, and giving his cheek a light nuzzle. There the two floated in silence. Him in awe, and her... in adoration.

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Professor Kukui allowed himself a smile as he sipped tea from a glass. All his students, plus Burnet, were in the old man's house. With a healthy supply of refreshments, they listened as he explained the history behind the city, as well the significance of Valentine's Day to the City of Water.

Well, almost all his students. He did not fail to notice the red-haired girl, "Bianca", pulling Ash away and leaving Pikachu and the others behind as she lead him to Arceus-knows-where. Whatever she felt for the young trainer was more than just friendship, Kukui knew. He could see it in her eyes and behaviour; she was clearly infatuated with Ash. Perhaps, he mused, even more so than Mallow. A quick glance over at the green haired girl told him she noticed Ash's absence as well; and although she seemed confused and perhaps a bit disappointed, she didn't interrupt Lorenzo. His lips twitched in amusement. While he didn't want anyone to be in conflict over anything, he was curious to see which of the two girls would eventually open his eyes. _Although, _he thought, _this Bianca girl will most likely be staying here. _He wondered how she would feel about the knowledge Ash and his classmates would be leaving Alto mare and Johto behind in a couple days. Probably, not very happy at all. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully; perhaps they could stay for just another day. That would give the girl more time with Ash, not to mention he could investigate the city and the rumors of its guardians. Speaking of which...

Seeing their host had gone silent after another story, the Professor cleared his throat. Lorenzo looked over at him, and asked jovially, "Ah, what can I do for you, Professor?"

Smiling, Kukui replied with, "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I seem to recall there was an... incident here at Alto mare, about three years ago. It seems there was a rather large wave coming towards the city, but was dissipated, with quite the light show that came along with it."

At that, the cheerful look Lorenzo had on his face disappeared as he slightly flinched. "Erm, from whom did you hear _that_ from, Professor?"

Kukui noticed his reactions as he responded, "A colleague of mine happened to be up one night in Cherrygrove, when he noticed something quite peculiar happening over here. He stated that there was a rather large amount of light coming from some point beyond the city, and just before that, what seemed to be a wall of water. I don't suppose you'd know anything about that?"

Lorenzo seemed to shift uncomfortably in his seat, before carefully setting down his drink on the table. He looked down into his hands, before raising his gaze and making eye-contact with everyone in the room, before settling on Kukui. "I take it that everyone in here can be trusted with knowledge about Legendaries?"

The students nodded, although Sophocles seemed indignant. The round boy opened his mouth before being swatted at by Lillie and Lana. He closed his mouth again as Kukui replied, " Certainly. Everyone in here is adept at keeping secrets. After all, we have been privy to information to some, rather unusual, Pokemon that are probably more curious than some legendaries. That, however, is a story for later. That being said, everyone can keep whatever this man is about to say discreet, right? Even you?" At the last bit, Kukui lightly nudged the blue bag that was propped up against the couch next to his feet. The bag wiggled as the zipper came undone. Inside was a rather round, beige shape that seemed to be snoring, along with a smaller red rectangular shape that quickly rose out of the bag with a loud _rzzzzt!_

The odd rectangle's screen showed a grin as it floated up, and in a robotic voice, it said, "Right, Professor!... What were we talking about again?"

Everyone collectively sweat-dropped as Kukui repeated himself. "I said, you can keep a secret, yes?"

Rotom dex gave a salute with one of its arms. "Sure can! What's the secret?"

Kukui turned back to Lorenzo. "That is what we're about to find out."

Throughout this Lorenzo just stared at Rotom with a look of confusion on his face, before apparently deciding he had seen stranger things. Clearing his throat, he began.

"Long ago, before the city was as busy as it is now, a couple were walking along a pier, when they noticed what appeared to be a bundle. As they came closer to investigate, they saw it was not one, but two, bundles. What they found wrapped up inside each were two human babies, a girl and a boy. Naturally, they were concerned, no parents or guardians seemed to be around. So, they took the two children with them to their home, and raised them as their own. For years they lived there, learning and growing. It was, indeed, extraordinarily peaceful. Unfortunately, that was not to last. One day, for reasons unknown, the earth shook and the ocean rippled. Confusion was abound in Alto mare, as they had never experienced such a powerful tremor. That was the least of their concerns, for rapidly approaching was tsunami the size of which was beyond comprehension. It seemed as though the city was doomed. Many inhabitants prayed to Arceus and Kyogre to spare them, others simply waited for the inevitable."

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Lorenzo paused to catch his breath, and observed his audience. They appeared enraptured, even the weird red thing called Rotom dex. He continued; "However, when the last prayers fell silent, the two children began to rise and glow. With a shimmer, they transformed from small humans to legends. They were Legendary Pokemon, Eon dragons. Latios, the male, and Latias, the female. However, the couple had no time to wonder at this, as the two climbed higher still, and used their great powers to dispel the wave and save the city. The effort proved too much for the male, as he sacrificed his all to stop the threat. He died, and in his place was a very special gem. That gem is called the "Soul Dew", and as you can gather from its name, holds the spirit of the life that came before it, along with the intentions of the deceased. It is thought," he said, noting the near tracks on some of the youngsters' faces, "that this was not simply a blessing for the city... but also a curse. Whatever energy the Soul Dew contains, it keeps the waters at Alto mare calm. Well, as calm as one can get. But, should the gem ever become broken or corrupted, it sends the water away, only for it to come back in a wave. Much as it did all those years ago. Anyway, the grief-stricken Latias left the city, although not before hiding the Soul Dew, and wasn't seen again for a few months. When she did come back, she was holding two eggs. Two eggs she entrusted to couple, before leaving forever. Those eggs would hatch into a Latios and Latias, and it is believed that they guard the city- and Soul Dew- to this day."

And with that, he stopped again. The faces of his audience were a mixture of sadness and awe, which he reasoned, was perfectly understandable.

The male Professor, Kukui, leaned forward before asking, "You mentioned the curse, and how if the Soul Dew were to be destroyed or corrupted, the waters would form a wave again. If that's the case, then how do you know about it?"

At the question, Lorenzo gave them a serious look. "That, Professor, is the next part of my story."

**Author's note:**

**Hiya! I'm back! And with a pretty long chapter, as well! Well, not necessarily. But it is indeed longer than previous chapters. This is due to the fact that I'd like to slowly increase chapter size, from a measly ~2,500 words to something 4-5 times that, maybe even 6 times. Ambitious, sure, but I would like my readers to have something good and _long_ to read, not what it is now.**

**I ran this by a reader, Delta4Phoenix, before finishing up the last 2000 words, so there's probably some kind of error my tired brain missed. But, I am happy I finally got this out. I'd like to thank all the people reading, favoriting, following, and more importantly, reviewing this fic. Shoutout to all of you reviewers. **

**I have nothing further to add that is of any value. So please, read and review! If you spot any errors or questions, do not be afraid to PM. I promise I don't bite (at nice people). In fact, I rather enjoy getting PMs. I am a social Beautifly, after all. Hell, you can even just hit me up about random Altoshippingness. I promise I will do my damndest to reply to all.**

**Hope you enjoy! R&R**

**~Mimikyu**

**PS: I looked at the document in expanded view. That just made me want to lengthen the chapters even more, because holy hell... It's practically pathetic.**

**PSS: Don't be afraid to vote on my _poll on my profile_. Gen 8 starters, who you picking? #SobbleSquad**


	5. Latias' Event

**This was written on mobile, so if the formatting sucks, it's because I suck at formatting.****Bet you thought I'd blame mobile FF. net, didn't you?**

**Anyways, I'm gonna be doing updates on here until I get either:**

**A) a Bluetooth keyboard**

**Or**

**B) a new computer.**

**Personally, I'd love a new computer.**

**But mobile it is for now.**

**On with the show!**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**A family talk and Alolan emergency**

The entire group sat there in silence. Lorenzo had finished with his latest tale, and was now shifting uncomfortably under the shocked and disbelieving gazes cast upon him by the Alolan folks. He reflected their reactions were quite reasonable, given the sheer absurdity of it all. Even the Pokémon were wide-eyed, with the exception of a certain Pikachu.

A cough from Mallow broke the silence. The green-haired girl raised her hand hesitantly, looking a little dubious. "So... those girls we met... were actually Legendary Pokémon? And that Ash helped save this town three years ago?"

Lorenzo opened his mouth to confirm, when Kukui beat him to the punch. "Well, technically, Mew is classified as 'Mythical', but..." He trailed off. Mallow rolled her eyes slightly.

Lorenzo chuckled, before nodding. "I suppose you are a Professor for a reason. But in all essence, you are correct, my dear. Those girls are indeed Pokémon. Latias is, of course, the youngest. By quite a lot, in fact. Mew was there at the beginning of all Pokémon... Well, considering she's the mother of all Pokémon, I'd be a touch worried if Latias was the elder. Anyway, it seems when the Twins were hatched, Mew took it upon herself to be both mother and friend. For what reason, only she knows. But several times a week, she visits the twins and plays with them, occasionally teaching as well. Luckily for Latios and the city, she had been on her way here when the incident occurred."

The group fell silent once more. Lorenzo took note of their reactions. The little bluenette and blonde looked curious and a touch excited. The (strangely) shirtless dark-skin male had his arms crossed and was leaning his head back, a stern but thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the ceiling. The rather round boy had somehow pulled some sort of computer from somewhere and was furiously tapping away at the keys. Lorenzo honestly wasn't sure what to think of this, so he shifted his eyes over to Mallow. Her expression seemed slightly triumphant, which he thought was a little strange. Moving on, he finally looked at the professors. They seemed to be talking each other with their eyes, although he obviously couldn't figure out what they could be saying.

Suddenly, the blonde girl spoke up. "I can't believe we were next to such rare Pokémon and never knew it."

Professor Kukui looked away from his wife and towards Lillie. "I had guessed that Mew was something special, but Bian- er, Latias... I never saw that coming. I agree it's hard to believe, but I see no reason why we shouldn't."

There was a general murmur of agreement.

Looking at his watch, Lorenzo gave a pleased smile. "Ah, well it looks like Bianca, the real Bianca, should be coming home soon. Very soon, in fact."

As if on cue, the door handle turned, before the door opened wide. A female voice called out, "Gramps, I'm hom-"

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Bianca blinked and looked around at the room full of people. This was unexpected. Her grandfather smiled and beckoned her in. "Come in, come in. I was just telling our guests about…. Well, a few things, really."

Her right eye twitched. They had kept the twins, Mew, and the Garden secret for years. She really hoped he wasn't going senile and telling random folks about all that now. Although… She couldn't say she's ever seen them before. Their clothing was quite strange, too… AsAs was the dark-skinned boy's lack of shirt. They definitely were not native to Johto, then. It sometimes hit a little chilly, and the City of Water was no different.

Realizing she was letting the door hang wide open she quickly hurried in and closed it behind her. She threw a weary glance at everyone before introducing herself. "I'm Bianca. Pleasure to meet you all. Lorenzo is my grandfather."

Thr group nodded, before they introduced themselves one by one.

One if the adults started, and she noted that he had no shirt under his lab coat looking thing. Definitely foreign. "Hey there, Bianca. I'm Professor Kukui. I teach these students over at a school in Alola."

Her eyebrows shot up. Alola? Couldn't get more foreign than that. She gave a light bow of her head. "Pleasure to meet you, Professor."

The professor nodded, a quirky smile present. "Likewise."

The second adult got up from her seat and walked over to Bianca, before holding her hand out, displaying a bright smile. "I'm professor Burnet. I'm married to this guy," she said, gesturing with her other hand at Kukui, who snorted.

Bianca took her hand firmly, shaking it, before asking, "Do you teach at the school as well, Professor?"

Burnet giggled, replying, "Oh, no. I study at a research lab. And please, call me Burnet."

They released their handshake as the students got up.

After all the introductions, Bianca asked the question that had been on her mind ever since she walked through the door. "So what brings you all to Johto? Alto Mare, of all places."

Her grandad replied, sounding strangely pleased and excited. "Well, Bianca, there is one number missing from their group. Care to guess who might that be?"

She looked at him flatly. That could be just about anyone. Was it even a person she knew? Were they famous, or unknown to most people? For Arceus's sake, she didn't know anyone in Alola. Curse her grandfather's guessing games!

She responded with a dry tone. "The Alolan Champion?"

The whole group snorted. Professor Kukui adjusted his glass before replying. "Well, once the Pokémon League has been set up in Alola, I'm sure he will definitely become champion. But he still has some ways to go. Right now, we're just on break here in Johto. And at his request, we are here in Alto Mare. After all, he hasn't been here in three years." There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes at that. Bianca still didn't know who he was referring to. This mystery guy had been here three years ago? The same here that….

Understanding dawned in her eyes as she looked between her granddad and Kukui. "Is that person… Ash?"

Almost everyone chuckled, the green-haired Mallow merely crossed her arms and looked glum. What was her problem?

A thought crossed her mind. Is that girl… jealous?

She looked from Kukui to Lorenzo and back again. "So if he's not here, then where is he?"

The professor chuckled. "A girl we met at the docks brought us here, then took Ash somewhere."

At that, one of her eyebrows raised. She could only think of one "person" who would do that. But she couldn't exactly reveal who that person was to them. That would be incredibly-

"Latias was her name, right?" The professor asked.

-stupid. _Very _stupid. She turned her faze, which was now a heavy scowl, towards her grandfather. Why would he reveal this secret to them so willingly? It didn't matter if they were Ash's friends. He should have had Latias or Latios inspect their minds before telling them about the twins. She opened her mouth to make her annoyance known, but the little round boy spoke first.

"So that's what happened to them. I thought we just lost them out there or something."

The taller male, Kiawe, snorted. "It should have been pretty obvious that they are doing. After all, the two haven't seen each other in years. I'm sure they are just getting some… alone time" He smirked.

Everyone else blushed heavily, either looking away, covering their face, or both. All except for Mallow, who looked furious and ready to blow up. The students and professors seemed to have some knowledge as to why she would react that way, for when they recovered, they seemed to glance at her occasionally.

Bianca, however, had no idea. Why would this girl be mad at the thought of Ash and Latias being alone…?

Ah.

This girl was jealous. She clearly liked Ash, a lot, and was now feeling incredibly threatened by a very old friend of his. For good reason. Bianca knew, everyone who had ever known the dragoness knew, that Latias was absolutely heartsick. And those that were there with them that fateful day knew the cause.

She grimaced to herself. It seemed as though that the two would clash while Ash was here. And while she was rooting for her sister-friend, Bianca knew Ash and friends would be heading back to Alola some time, leaving Latias alone and Mallow… without competition. Heavily regrettable, but there was no way Ash could possibly be content staying in a city where adventure was lacking. He was simply still too young for that. As for Latias, there was no way she could leave Alto Mare. While the city had somehow been freed from its curse despite the Soul Dew being placed under heavy cloaking measures, courtesy of Mew, the city itself was still ancient and important, and still in need of guardians….right? And if she left, then would Latios follow? Leaving them very vulnerable, as she didn't think Mew would be content sitting around with her "children" gone.

Truly, the thought of Latias leaving the city, and her, did not sit well with Bianca. It wasn't just a matter of safety, but loneliness as well. The Twins were her best friends, and while her grandfather was good company, he just didn't compare to someone she could sit down and talk or giggle with.

She sighed to herself. Why couldn't life just be simpler?

Lorenzo broke her out of her thoughts when he leaned forward and spoke. "I almost forgot. There's a little… event taking place later this evening. Latias herself is part of it. In fact, she's the main part in it."

Everyone turned and looked at him, intrigued. Lana asked what they had all probably been thinking. "Event? With Latias? What will she be doing?"

The old man sat back again, a small, satisfied smile on his face. "That will be for her to tell. Or, if I know her as well as I like to think, to perform."

The group of students and professors looked at each other, mystified. Bianca merely face-palmed and groaned. The event. How could I have forgotten?

She knew her friend had been working on something, something special. She didn't know what it was, exactly, seeing as Latias always preferred to work on her thing alone or with her "helpers".

But to have forgotten it was today…

Bianca worried about how well Latias would do, now that Ash was here. Hopefully, she wouldn't slip up. She never has before, but that boy…. No matter that he had been away for a long time, he still had an effect on Latias. And now that he was here, it would be a test for Latias. Preform perfectly like always, or succumb to her feelings?

Tonight would tell.

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Ash was mildly bored. After Latias had lifted him up, she had cuddled up to him, something he didn't really understand. After sometime, she seemed to have remembered something, as she shot towards the ground, Ash yelping, before gently setting him down. She gave a quick apology, before telling him that he should find something to do for a while, and then shooting off. He didn't get that dragoness sometimes.

Taking her words to heart, he looked around, trying to find something to do. He failed, miserably. There was genuinely nothing. He tried to find Latios, but the blue dragon was nowhere to be found. Not to mention Pikachu. He was ashamed to say it had taken him so long to realize his partner was missing. He was just having so much fun with Latias he never noticed.

Ash fidgeted with his Z-ring. Latias had still not come back yet.

He sat down with a huff. When he was. Here three years ago, he wasn't bored. Then again, he had Latias to play with. Her and her brother, that is. But. Now, it would seem as though she had abandoned him to the agony of boredom. A cruel fate indeed.

Suddenly, he sat up. The Soul Dew. How could he have missed it?

He got up and walked around, looking for the pedestal upon which it had rested, before Team Rocket stole it and nearly destroyed it.

He finally found it, mentally scolding himself for missing it the whole hour he was there. Walking forward, he gazed down into the shallow water, where his eyes rested upon the heart-sized jewel. Alto Mare was fortunate that Mew had the power to repair it, even after helping stop a gargantuan wave.

Ash reached forward to touch it, then stopped. He was hesitant on even feeling it, worried what would happen.

"It's okay, Ash. You can touch it."

The trainer nearly swallowed his tongue as he jumped violently, nearly falling into a nearby pool. Regaining his balance, he whipped around, looking for the speaker.

He immediately found it, in the form of… himself?

The figure looked exactly like him, down to the smallest detail. The only difference was the other him looked almost… emotionless, except for a small smile.

Ash didn't move. He was unsure why there was a clone of him standing before him. Or anywhere, really.

He broke the silence. "Uh… Who are you?"

"Ash" number two shook his head, seemingly disappointed. "Even after seeing my sister transform multiple times, you still haven't thought about who I could be? Tsk Tsk. And here I thought you might have grown a little less dense over the years."

Ash, the real Ash, blinked several times, dreadfully confused. Was he supposed to know this… person?

The fake him just rolled his eyes, before being showered in light. When it faded, a blue dragon was in his place. A very familiar dragon.

"Latios!" Ash exclaimed.

The dragon slapped his clawed arm to his face. _"Now you realize. Who else would it have been?" _

The young trainer shuffled his feet, embarrassed. "Er…"

Latios huffed, _"No matter."_ He inspected Ash, his gaze passing over him repeatedly.

He looked back into the boy's eyes._ "You've grown."_

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah…. I suppose I have." Of course, he had been traveling for quite some time. It was bound to happen eventually. Granted, he was nowhere near Kiawe's height, but that didn't really matter.

Latios remarked, _"Your scent is different. Not too noticeable, but it seems… familiar. And there seems to be a very strange energy coming from you."_

Ash didn't know what to say. It's not as though he had a Pokémon's level of smelling ability. And what was that about energy? Could Latios be sensing the Z-ring? Latias seemed to be oblivious to it.

The dragon shook his head abruptly. _"Forgive me. Where are my manners?"_ He spoke in a more friendly way, his voice softer. _"How are you, Ash? How have you been, these past few years?" _

The boy immediately smiled, eager to reply. "It's been great! I've been to so many regions! I competed in as many leagues as I could." He pouted slightly. "Unfortunately, I haven't won any yet. But," he said, sounding excited again, "I did get super close few times. In Sinnoh, I was in the semi-finals. Got knocked out by a Darkrai and Latios. It's the farthest I've ever gotten in a league."

Latios blinked in surprise. _"Another Latios, you say? How... intriguing."_

Ash nodded, then continued. "I wish Alola had a league, though. Instead of gyms, they have these trial things. In the trials-"

He was interrupted when a voice called out. _"Ash!" Then, "Pikapi!" _

He turned, and saw a brown haired girl, with Pikachu carefully balanced on her beret. "Bianca! Pikachu!"

Behind him, Latios snorted and muttered, _"At least she is recognized." _

Ash quickly ran over, skidding to a stop in front of her. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, where he rubbed his cheek with Ash. "Chaaa!"

Ash grinned as he rubbed his partner's cheek. "There you are, buddy. I was bored without you here!"

Bianca crossed her arms. "Then maybe you have taken him with you! Instead, he was back at my house, sleeping with one of your friend's Pokémon."

He looked away, ashamed. "Sorry, Pikachu. I was pretty distracted."

The artist snorted. "Yeah, well, prepare to be more distracted. Latias has something coming up pretty soon. Within two hours, in fact."

Latios floated close to them both. Bianca smiled and said, "Hey, Latios."

The dragon nodded at her. _"Greetings, Binca. How are you?"_

Ash looked between the two of them. Binca?

Bianca narrowed her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently. "Quit calling me that!" There was a light blush on her face.

Latios's mouth twitched. _"Certainly." _

She rolled her eyes. "You always say that, and then continue to call me Binca!"

The dragon merely smiled, otherwise ignoring her. _"Care to tell young Ash what exactly you are talking about in regards to my sister?" _

Ash looked curiously at Bianca. What was Latias going to do? Did she have a job or something? Do people typically hire Pokémon? Then again, he reflected, if she did have a job, then she probably wouldn't reveal she's a Pokémon. A Legendary, too.

At Latios's question, she shook her head. "No. I think she would want him to find out then, and not now. I didn't tell his classmates, either. Wasn't sure if any of them would tell him behind my back. I don't know them, after all."

At that, he exclaimed indignantly, "Hey! They wouldn't go back on their word, they're trustworthy! Besides, none of have done that for me anyway. Well, Mallow has. But not the rest of them."

At the mention of the green-haired girl, Bianca raised an eyebrow. "And have you figured out why she might be the one to tell you?"

He scratched his head, thinking. "Uh… No? I mean, we're pretty good friends…."

Bianca closed her eyes and shook her head, muttering, "Poor Latias. You have your work cut out for you with him."

The draconic legendary looked at Bianca curiously. _"What about this… Mallow?"_

The artist merely shook her head. "I'll tell you later."

Latios nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

Ash, on the other hand, was still a touched miffed. He stroked Pikachu on his cheek, the mouse leaned into the touch.

He jumped as the artist spoke again. "Anyway, if you brought anything decent to wear, then wear it."

Ash nodded. He did bring some nice clothes, at the direction of Professor Kukui. Of course, he had to go out and get some while in the shopping district, but they were relatively cheap, and nothing extremely fancy.

Bianca turned and stepped forward, before glancing back. "Be ready within the next hour and fifteen minutes."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Latias breathed deeply, a little nervous. No, quite a bit nervous. While it was common for her to feel some butterflies beforehand, she hadn't counted on Ash arriving today. Or at all. If he had come just yesterday, she might have pulled herself together better. But she only had remembered her event while gazing down at the City with Ash, and seeing the center plaza. Fortunately, she had plenty of time to figure out any last minute details and get ready. Makeup, dress, hair, and a slight face alteration was all she needed. Now she needed to do as well as she had previously.

For tonight, she and her "helpers" were about to deliver something she had been working on for the past three years. It didn't escape her that she finished not a day before Ash's arrival. Either Arceus was teasing her in a very extreme way, or the goddess was helping her.

She hoped it was the latter. She didn't need yet another legendary teasing her and her feelings for the raven-haired trainer. It was bad enough her brother, Mew, and others from different regions did it. She didn't want the Mother doing so as well, for how could she react?

She jumped as her assistant, who had no idea who or what she really was, came and tapped her on the shoulder. "Ms Amber? You're on in a minute."

She quickly composed herself. It's OK. Just any other time doing this. It's just that Ash- no. Just focus.

She could hear the crowd murmuring and shuffling their feet. Occasionally, she could also hear the cry if a young child.

Then, the voice that she had been waiting to hear.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen and Pokémon alike, both old and new! That'd be you tourists out there!"

The crowd chuckled at the announcer's comment. He continued, while Latias stood back and waited.

"I've been told this is something we haven't seen before, so this should be exciting, folks!"

Everyone clapped and cheered.

"So Without further ado, please welcome Alto Mare's own… Ms Amber!"

The crowd roared as she stepped out onto the stage from behind the curtains. Putting on a bright smile, she waved at everyone as she stepped up to the simple stand that was in place.

The announcer walked behind the curtain as she stood there. The crowd hushed as her "helpers" started the instrumentals. She looked around discreetly, trying and failing to find Ash. She gazed straight ahead when her time had nearly here. Next few measures…. Big breath…. And…

_"There is a brightness__It's like the sunshine__That comes down among the trees__And kisses the ground…"__The city is like a maze__We all never fly__We feel the loneliness.__There is water__It's so beautiful__They keep running towards a dream__Reaching to be free."_

This was, of course, about Alto Mare. That much was clear to everyone. The crowd loved it, it seemed, as their grins gave it away. But this song was… Not just about what was visible to the average person.

_"If you are afraid of despair__Please come to my precious world__The secret garden's here.__We can fly away__And we can talk heart to heart__Let's get to paradise with invisible wings__Someday our dreams will come true__So we can find the way__Yes, we can stay together now__Because there is hope for everyone__The secret garden's waiting for you."_

As the musicians behind her continued on, she swept her gaze across the crowd, gaging their reactions-

There! She felt a blush spread across her face as her eyes met Ash's. He looked very handsome in his simple tuxedo. He also looked to be dumbfounded, looking at her with his mouth open. Pikachu, who was in his shoulder like always, seemed to be equally stunned. The mouse was also wearing a suit, fitted to his size.

She gave him a warm smile, keeping her gaze locked with his, as she continued.

_"There are so many flowers__It's so lovely__They stay in your heart__Yes, forever more__You are my special friend__Please come to my precious world__The secret garden's here."_

Ah,"special friend." Something her subconscious must have planted in her head while she was writing this.

_"We can fly away__And we can talk heart to heart__Let's get to paradise with invisible wings__Someday our dreams will come true__So we can find the way__Yes, we can stay together now__Because there is hope for everyone__The secret garden's waiting for you"_

She looked away from Ash as she finished with one last verse.

_"We can fly away__And we can talk heart to heart__Let's get to paradise with invisible wings__Someday our dreams will come true__So we can find the way__Yes, we can stay together now__Because there is hope for everyone__The secret garden's waiting for you."_

She gave a silent breath of relief. The song was over.

As the instruments slowly faded, the crowd roared with approval. It had been a bit of a risk to talk about a "secret garden", but she doubted anyone would make the assumption it was real. After all, to them, this was just a song.

Waving her hands, she slowly turned and walked backstage. Her part was done. She turned as her announcer approached, a small smile on his face.

"As great as ever, sister. I'm sure Ash loved it as well."

She blushed at his remark, before replying, "Thank you brother, again. But quit teasing me!"

Latios shook his head, smirking. He adjusted his tie, before looking back up. "Time to announce dinner. See you then, sis." And with that, he walked onto the stage.

She listened as he directed them to another part of the plaza, where tables had been set up.

Suddenly, someone burst into the "room", startling her and making her jump. Latias turned and saw Ash, grinning as he jogged up to her before stopping abruptly in front of her. His bow tie was crooked, probably from running and jumping around. He sounded breathless as he exclaimed, "That was amazing! You didn't mention you could sing! You sounded great!" Pikachu appeared to share his sentiments, letting out a loud "pika!"

Latias looked away, bashful. She was sporting a very prominent blush on her face as she tried to control her emotions. "Thank you, Ash," she replied softly. "That means a lot, coming from you."

If he was going to reply, he didn't do so quick enough, as the professor barged in a second later. "Ash! We're supposed to meet at the-"

He finally noticed her sitting there. He gave a quick grin. "That was great! Good job out there!"

She bowed her head courteously. "Thank you, Professor."

He turned back to Ash. "I was going to tell you we had to go to the dinner… but I suppose your girlfriend can walk you there. See you then!"

At that, he quickly vanished out the room, leaving a mortified and paralyzed Latias, a laughing Pikachu, and a confused Ash.

The dense trainer turned to her and asked, "Why does he say you're my girlfriend?"

Her eye twitched. _Arceus help me. _

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**I am back, my readers! Your savior is here!****I have finally tackled chapter 5. 4 thousand words written tonight! How many has my keyboard "autocorrected"? Who knows! For I am Lazyman, the God of being too lazy to check my fic over.**

**Which is incredibly stupid I know. But, I got it done. I'll release the chapter, then fix what needs to be fixed later. Because I'm awful like that.**

**I'm 99% sure I did not create any plot holes with this chapter.**

**95%.**

**Anyways, hoped you liked this long awaited chapter, and by long awaited, I mean me waiting for the right words to flow through.****That song was actually inspired by what I read from one of Arcy's friends regarding his fic.**

**I chose to adopt it.**

**And speaking of songs:**

**_Song: Secret Garden_**

_**Artist: MADOKA****Lyrics: 渡辺なつみ****Natsumi Watanabe**_

_**Composer: 宮崎慎二****Shinji Miyazaki**_

_**Arrangement: 宮崎慎二****Shinji Miyazaki**_

**That song was not written by me, and I claim no rights over it. Pokémon does.**

**There, I believe that's the copyright thing out of the way**.

**I believe this is my longest chapter to date. Neat!**

**_PLEASE CHECK MY PROFILE FOR DISCORD LINK._**

**_I'VE HAD A FEW PEOPLE PM AND ASK WHERE IT IS._**

**Also, please use it if you can. Fanfic mobile is quite unforgiving when it comes to replying to anyone. I have to use the desktop site to reply to PMs, and that's tedious. **

**Anyways, please, please read and review. You don't know how much it means to me when I see a new review on it.**

**Like, a review review.**

**Rr!**

**~Totem_Mimikyu**

**Ps: special thanks to those that held out hope for this story being updated.**

**Pss: very special thanks and kudos to those that take the time and review, giving me tips and things they noticed that I didn't. I'm looking at you, ITSYEBOIGUZMA**


	6. A Dinner, a Mess, and a Talk

**Welcome back! I hope you liked chapter 5.**

** I apologize for it taking so long. I'm going to try to avoid such a thing again.**

**As I've said previously, I aim to increase my chapter lengths gradually, and I think I'm doing fairly well with.**

**Anyways, on with the show!**

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**A Dinner, a Mess, and a Talk**

Dinner was a lively affair, filled with giggles and laughter throughout the plaza. The City Square was full of people, Pokémon, and the tables and chairs to accommodate them. Red and white balloons were tied to lampposts, and the flower baskets kept watered by the occasional spray of water from water Pokémon. The sky was light with floating lamps, with the occasional Lampent and Chandelure flying around amongst them.

Truly, the town was utterly transformed at night. Something Mallow could appreciate... mostly.

Poking at her food, the grass-type trainer could only sigh. She had hoped this trip would be nothing but fun. And while her time on the mainland was a delight, especially with a plethora of grass types she's never seen, coming to Alto Mare was something she wished they could have skipped. Not that the city was ugly, not by any means, but because all of Ash's attention seemed to be focused on that Pokémon currently disguised as a girl.

A really attractive girl, she thought bitterly.

She sighed again. She hated being jealous. It was an emotion that just wasn't beneficial to anyone. But as she turned to look at Ash and Latias at the head of the table, she couldn't help but feel such emotion. Especially because Ash and Latias spent so much time together, alone. She only saw him when he came back to Lorenzo's house and got changed. And even after that, they all immediately left, not giving her a chance to be with him much.

It didn't help that the Legendary Pokémon had been staring at the object of both their affections while she was singing. Then Ash completely disappeared for a while, only to emerge from behind the stage, with Latias clinging to his side.

She sighed again. Why did we have to come to this infernal island?

Mallow immediately felt guilty. Ash had specifically asked to visit. She couldn't begrudge him that.

A speaker behind her interrupted her brooding.

"Welcome, once again! How is everybody tonight?"

Mallow turned As the plaza erupted in cheers. Clearly, everyone was excited and content.

The announcer was wearing a simple but sharp looking tuxedo. His hair was very blue, even more so than that James from Team Rocket. Although this man's hair was much shorter.

She listened as he continued. "Excellent, excellent. Thank you for joining us once more on this Valentine's Day with me and my sister, Ms. Amber!"

As the crowd cheered again, Mallow turned to glance over at Latias, only to stop and frown. Did she hear right? She leaned in close to Lillie, who was sitting to her right. "Did that man say "sister"?

The blonde looked at her curiously and nodded, before asking, "He did. Why do you ask, Mallow?"

Lana, who was sitting on the other side of Lillie, had leaned closer as well.

The green-haired girl replied with surprise clear in her voice. "Because if he's actually La- Amber's brother, then think! Who would that make him?"

The two other girls stared at her, mystified, before Lillie gasped quietly. "You mean that's...?"

Mallow nodded vigorously, taking a glance at the announcer as she did. Lana still wasn't comprehending, so Mallow lowered her voice to a low whisper. "Amber is actually Latias, right? And since that man says she's his sister, then that would make him...?"

Lana's eyes blinked once, before widening quickly. Her voice was a near shout as she exclaimed, "Lat-!"

As quick as lightning, Lillie clamped her hand over Lana's mouth, preventing her from shouting something that the pokémon in disguise probably wouldn't appreciate.

The water trainer looked slightly guilty as the three of them looked around, hoping no one heard her. Mallow felt someone was watching, but she couldn't see who it might be. Lillie let go of Lana, and the three of them turned their attention back to the stage...

... Only to find the announcer, Latios, was looking down at them, a slight upper twist on the corner of his mouth.

Mallow gulped and pressed herself back into her chair. Latios looked back across the crowd as he continued, leaving Mallow feeling highly embarrassed.

"Many years ago, this city was saved by our guardians from unspeakable misfortune and destruction. Many years ago, on this same day. A day that proved to us and the world that love for each other can conquer even the most impossible of tasks!"

At that, Mallow shot a glance at Ash, feeling a little flushed, only to see Latias was doing the same. Her stomach twisted at the look of obvious affection on her face, and she looked away, teeth gritting.

"Appropriately, my sister decided to mark the occasion with a special event three years ago, with her first performance."

She frowned at his words. Did Latias start before or after she met Ash? She put her hands on her face and rubbed her eyes. Why did things have to be so complicated?

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Latios was feeling slightly amused. While he was nowhere near as good as Latias's ability to pick up emotions, he could sense the green-haired girl's feelings. He could pick up the jealousy and embarrassment, as well as her realizing who he was. Not too many people could figure that out so fast, or even at all. And unfortunately, he thought to himself, Ash probably wasn't one of them.

"And speaking of performances... We have one more activity for you tonight, right after dinner. One I'm sure my sister will simply adore."

He glanced down at Latias as he said that, wanting to laugh at the look of foreboding on her face. He managed to hold it in, however, and pressed on with the speech that was thankfully drawing to a close. "I am very pleased to announce, that after our meal here, you shall be provided with the opportunity..."

He looked at Latias again, and smiled a bit more, seeing here looking slightly nervous.

Spreading his arms dramatically, he finished. "... of a celebratory dance!"

The people and Pokémon populating the plaza were quiet for a moment, before standing up and clapping, cheering all the while. He allowed himself a moment of self-satisfaction at his ability to get a crowd excited, before looking down at his sister once more.

Latios practically snorted at her expression. Her face was heavily flushed, as though she knew what the dance was for. Whose, rather, dance this was for. For Latios had, indeed, pulled this off when he saw Ash had returned. Originally, he had planned to nap for a while. But once he remembered Latias' performance...

Well, then who was he to pass this opportunity by to embarrass his sister?

As he turned away to head off stage once more, he heard her voice in his head, sounding angry and mortified. _I promise you, brother. I will dye your feathers the most hideous colors I can think of. It may not be tomorrow. It may not even be this month. But I will do it._

He chuckled, walking through the curtains as he replied, _I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Oh, and Latias? Try not to kiss him again, especially on the lips. You two haven't even had an official dated yet. _

He heard her squeal in his mind before feeling her withdrawal from the psychic connection.

Yes, he thought, Putting this surprise together was quite genius of me. Enjoy your dance with Ash, Latias.

He turned towards the crowd. "Go ahead and find your partners, if you have one, as the music will be starting shortly!"

With that, the disguised dragon walked off the stage and into the crowd. Latios knew his sister hated him right now, but she would never pass up a dance with Ash, nor would she ever give it up to someone else. He had to keep Mallow distracted for long enough so that Latias could be with Ash, as he knew well enough the green haired girl would try to disrupt their dance.

Once he was within twenty feet or so, he stopped.

And waited.

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Latias was sitting in her chair, seething but also blushing. She should have known Latios would do something like this. While her antics could probably be predictable, his came completely out of the blue, despite the exact that he wasn't even an "active" prankster. Perhaps that's what made him such a good one.

However, none of that mattered, as dinner was rapidly drawing to a close. And that meant the dance was drawing closer and closer.

She threw a shy glance at the dense boy she loved, smiling gently as he talked excitedly to Pikachu about something.

"Try not to kiss him again, especially on the lips. You haven't even had an official date yet."

As her cheeks burned at the thought of her brother's words, Latias contemplated them. Official date? What could he have meant by that? It would have been simple enough to just say date...

Unless...

Her eyes widened. Was her little adventure today with Ash considered a date? She hadn't meant for it to be one, although she most definitely hoped it felt like one to him. Ash would be leaving in a few days, that much she knew, and if she didn't step up her game she might not get to see Ash again for a long time. Not to mention that Mallow was serious competition for Ash. If she hesitated and didn't act now there was a very good chance that she might lose him tonight.

"_I'll keep Mallow off of Ash while you try and have some alone time with him. How about that?" _

Realizing it was Latios she let out another small squeak, she thought she closed that connection! But, looking over and seeing her brother start to head down the stairs, right now was the opportune moment. If he could distract Mallow, she could have Ash all to herself. And if she could do that… then maybe, maybe, she had a chance.

Suddenly, she saw the musicians walk up on stage. Latias tensed up, gripping the arms of her chair, hearing them squeak in protest. When had they finished?

_Too late!_

Quickly standing up she briskly walked the short distance over to Ash who was currently whispering something to Pikachu. Realizing that it was now or never she cleared her throat. "Ahem."

Ash turned around, having stopped his conversation with the electric mouse. "Oh, hey Tia, did you want something?"

She shuffled her feet, feigning interest in the ground. She cleared her throat again and blushed. "Er, do you want… Doyouwanttodancewithme?"

Ash gave her a confused and embarrassed look, before replying. "Uh, could you repeat that for me, please?"

Latias took in a deep breath and let it out to calm her nerves. She couldn't panic, not now. "Do you want to dance with me?" Her voice was just above a whisper, but it was loud enough that Ash had heard her this time.

Ash wore a thoughtful look over his face, the dragoness felt like she was going to start shedding feathers out of her disguise. "Well sure."

A look of shock came over Latias' face. "R-really," she stuttered. She had expected him to ask what a dance was, to be perfectly honest.

"Sure! There is a slight problem however, I can't really dance," Ash explained. "There was this one time in Kalos but that was more me just being dragged around."

The dragoness nodded, she didn't really need to think about who else he was dancing with, right now it was him and her. "Don't worry, I can show you the ropes, just follow my lead."

The young trainer stood up, scratching Pikachu's ears one more time before turning back to her. "After you, Tia."

She lightly flushed, before taking his hand and gently guiding him away from the table, and into a fairly clear area by the canals. The moon, along with the lights hanging above, provided a faint illumination to their little dance floor. She stopped and slowly turned. She flicked her eyes over to where she sensed Latios was. Latias could see him talking to Mallow, and after a moment of what seemed to be hesitation, she nodded. He offered his hand, which she took, before they left in the opposite direction.

Latias breathed out a sigh of relief. That was them taken care of. Now, what about the…?

The musicians struck a few chords, and Latias almost flinched. It was time. Taking Ash's hands into her own and pulling him a little closer she began to do a simple dance move. It started out slow, much like the beginning of the song, but it was a little clumsy and awkward as the two of them couldn't seem to find their footing.

The disguised legendary let out a nervous chuckle in an attempt to diffuse the air of awkwardness between the two of them. She couldn't help the burning in her cheeks at their close proximity. Ash was faring a bit better, although she could see a slight red tinge on his face as well.

Bringing their dance to a small stop, Latias let them take a break for a second. They obviously weren't doing much at this rate, more shuffling their feet together in an attempt at dancing. Ash gave her a curious look wondering at what exactly she was doing. She waited for the beat of the song to come around again before starting back up.

They were able to find their footing quite effectively as they matched their movements to the tempo of the music. Looking over at Ash, Latias gave him a smile, she hadn't really expected it to work that well but taking a break from being a bunch of nervous pidgeys certainly helped out. He simply gave her a smile in return.

During their dance, they moved ever so slightly closer to one another until they were almost touching. The blush on both of their faces grew a little bit redder. "Ash," Latias started. "I-I have to tell you something."

"What is it Latias," Ash whispered so that no one around could hear him.

"I-." Latias gulped; as much as she had planned to do something like this, nothing could truly prepare her for what she was about to say. However, she could sense some kind of feeling coming off of Ash. She didn't know what it was, but it gave her the courage to continue. "Listen, I need to tell you that ever since I met you, I-"ff by a large boom that staggered everyone,including Ash and herself.

Thick smoke filled the plaza, making many cough. She looked around, trying to find the cause of the interruption. An evil, feminine laugh boomed out from…. the sky? The same laugh ceased, before speaking. "Prepare for trouble, we're back with a bang!"

A male voice responded, from the same general direction. "And make it double, plus the whole gang!"

The female and male traded off lines, although Latias was more concerned about who they were, and why they sounded like complete idiots.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie," the female exclaimed. By now, the smoke had cleared, and a massive balloon was visible, along with a few figures below in the basket. One appeared to have long, red hair, possibly the female. The other had far shorter hair, going to perhaps his ears, blue in color. A Meowth was standing on the rim of the basket.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare for a fight!"

"Meowth, dats right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

Latias flinched. Team Rocket?

She hadn't expected them to come back here after their failure in capturing the souldew, but four years later here they were. Bad memories about that night still infected her mind, occasionally she would have nightmares about the night. Still, she wasn't sure if these buffoons were actually a part of Team Rocket or just being a bunch of posers.

The crowd didn't seem to care as just hearing the name of Team Rocket sent many into a panic. They all tried to rush out of the plaza at once, creating mass chaos. All of a sudden, a large retractable hand extended out from the bottom of the balloon, reaching for something on the ground. A blast of electricity arced around it, to no effect. The hand then retracted back up, a ball of yellow fur squirming in its grasp.

Latias blinked in confusion. "Is that… Pikachu?"

Ash growled beside her, clearly angry. "Yeah, and that's Team Rocket getting him! How did they know I was back at Johto?"

At that, she turned completely to face him. "You mean you've met these buffoons before?"

He nodded, an annoyed glare on his face. "I met them when I first set off on my journey, and they haven't left me alone since. Not even in Alola, where I'd hoped to leave them behind for once."

She was about to ask another question, but Ash ran off in the direction of the balloon. Latias stood there, frowning trying to think. Suddenly, a stroke of brilliance graced her mind.

Looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, she casually jumped into the canal, feeling the slightly cold water flow over her skin and through her hair. The canal glowed blue as she transformed, before shooting off to a far away section of water and out into the evening sky.

Team Rocket was too busy cackling over their prize, who was now in a jar. Somehow, he looked neither afraid nor confused. Merely… Annoyed?

Shaking her head, she let out a challenging cry, alerting just about everyone to her presence.

The crowd stared from down below in shock and awe at seeing their legendary guardian in the flesh while Team Rocket just looked confused. Latias saw them trying to put two and two together as she charged up a dragon breath. Were they really not going to react?

"Wait a second." But it was too late for the trio as she fired off the beam of draconic energy, slicing through the balloon and causing it to ignite. Quick as lightning, she darted forward and grasped the jar that held Pikachu, before retreating.

She was not a second too late as the balloon exploded and sent the goons flying off.

As they ascended, she heard them cry out, "Team Rocket's blasti-" They were cut off as a large shape jumped up from almost absolutely nowhere and catch the crooks in midair, before descending again. "We're off with a new blast!" They exclaimed off in the distance.

It was silent for a moment but suddenly the crowd erupted into cheers. Latias turned around with a nervous blush; she hadn't realized everyone had been watching.

_Latias_. She heard her brother call her name. _After over fifty years of hiding and protecting Alto Mare from the shadows, you decide to ruin all of that to impress your boyfriend._ Is it anger or annoyance?

_I'm sorry_! She hadn't really realized that a large chunk of Alto Mare just witnessed what she did. Although now that she thought about it… she found she didn't particularly care, either. As a matter of fact, she kind of relished the feeling. Like this, she no longer had to hide, no more not being herself.

However, she soon realized that she should probably go invisible quick. It was bad enough that everyone saw her, if Latios found a video of her she wasn't sure how'd he react. She quickly flew down and set the jar down and opened it, before letting her feathers reflect the light off around her, fading from view, and flying off behind a building.

Making sure nobody was nearby, she resumed her human form, and stepped out…

Where she was met by her brother in his human form. And he did not look pleased in the slightest.

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Ash stood there, mildly shocked. He certainly hadn't expected Team Rocket to show up and kidnap Pikachu, nor that Latias would dive into the canal and burst out to stop them. He most assuredly hadn't expected her to send them off with little to no effort. Scratching Pikachu's chin, he contemplated her actions.

"Ash!" someone exclaimed behind him. Turning, he saw his friends racing towards him. Mallow was in the lead, skidding to a halt before tripping and falling towards him.

He acted instinctively, catching her and keeping his balance. Why does it seem like everyone is tripping today? He thought, shaking his head.

As he straightened up, making sure Mallow was stable, he thought he saw a flash of what looked like victory in her eyes, before it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

"Are you alright?" she asked, scanning the area as if looking for someone or something. "Where did Latias go?"

Ash shrugged his shoulders; all he had seen was her deposit Pikachu on the ground before flying off to who knows where. "Latias went off to fight Team Rocket and disappeared in front of me and everyone else."

Mallow nodded. "So, she just left you?" she asked innocently. The rest of Ash's friends began to realize where this was going.

"Well, she had to go off and fight Team Rocket, and plus she probably doesn't want everybody to figure out her disguise." The answer seemed simple enough to Ash, but then again, they didn't really know Latias.

"Then how come she isn't back yet? It shouldn't take her too long, especially if she's a legendary." Mallow responded.

"Uh, Mallow." Lillie tried to get her attention but she didn't listen.

"Maybe she's waiting until the coast is clear? " Ash didn't really know where Mallow was trying to go with this whole ordeal.

"I'm just trying to say that maybe she isn't the most… reliable." Mallow explained as Ash could see his other friends looking around the plaza nervously.

His gaze narrowed as he looked at Mallow; he knew an insult when he heard one. "Isn't reliable? Because she didn't come straight back here after saving Pikachu, when no one else did?" He snorted angrily. "Latias is plenty reliable, she also helped out greatly when we protected Alto Mare!"

"Well if she's so great why don't you just-."

"Mallow!" Lillie cut her off. "Knock it off, now."

Ash and Mallow were flat out glaring at each other at this point, although he could strangely see hurt glimmer clearly in her eyes. Ash didn't understand her sudden dislike of the dragoness, they barely knew one another. Mallow suddenly tore her gaze away from Ash, unable to look him in the eyes. Lillie pulled Mallow aside and began to silently scold her, their voices just outside Ash's hearing range.

The glare on Ash's face disappeared, replaced with one of concern. "What was that all about?" Ash asked. He didn't understand where Mallow's sudden distaste for Latias came from, the two barely knew one another.

Sophocles walked up, slapped his back, and shook his head. "You really are denser than a pile of rocks Ash."

Ash frowned. What was that supposed to mean? Mallow went from being nice and caring to unconcerned and malicious in a second, he had every right to be confused about what was going on. And on top of that, all of that was directed towards one of his good friends that he hadn't seen in years just after she helped save Pikachu.

He massaged his head, tired and confused. He didn't know why Mallow was acting like this, but that was something that could be dealt with in the morning. Right now, he just needed to sleep. It seemed Professors Kukui and Burnet had the same mindset, as they were calling the class to them.

As he was plodding along, arms drooping, a sudden realization made him stop. Clearing his throat, he called out to Professor Kukui. "Uh, Professor? Where exactly are we going to sleep?"

Their teacher turned to look back at them, responding with a chuckle. "Don't worry too much about it. Lorenzo helped to make sure we got reservations at a nearby hotel earlier. Not too far from his house."

They all nodded, following the professors as they walked off. Ash turned his head to look around one more time, before following shortly after.

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Latias was floating close to the ground, looking cowed as Latios hovered close to her and glaring. They both knew she was going to be chewed out, and Latios had no sympathy. She exposed her presence, and her existence, to the whole plaza. He was aware it was only a matter of time before everyone within the city or even beyond would know about her. And he knew that they'd know he was present as well. Which is why as soon as he found her, he practically dragged her back to the garden.

The blue dragon looked down at her for a minute or so, watching her fidget. Then, he spoke.

"That was just about the stupidest thing you could have done. What in Arceus' name were you thinking?"

Before she could respond, he continued. "You weren't. At least, not about our secrecy. If it had been a couple people, it could have been dismissed. If it had been five, or even ten, it could have been dismissed. But you revealed yourself to a over a hundred people, if not more! And for what?" He dropped down to a near whisper. "To impress a boy who will be leaving soon, with no guarantee of return. Explain yourself."

Latias looked up, eyes starting go water. "I did it to save Pikachu! Didn't you see he was being taken?"

Latios narrowed his eyes. "I did. And I was within a second of freeing him without being noticed when you decided to play hero. I hope you realize you could have freed him with psychic? It's certainly a lot more subtle than what you pulled."

The red dragoness said nothing as she looked down, apparently too ashamed to look at her brother. Latios floated there for a minute, still glaring at her, before taking a deep breath." Just… Go to bed."

He flew off, leaving her sad and ashamed.

Latias didn't know what to do, she spoiled the biggest secret kept in all of Alto Mare. There were probably hundreds of different ways that she could have saved Pikachu without being noticed but she took the one where she was. Normally she had her secrecy as one of her top priorities, it was what she was taught almost ever since she was hatched.

She turned invisible and flew out of the garden. Maybe I just need to fly to clear my head. Were all the surrounding regions just going to believe the claims that the legendary guardians were real because now the city was saying it? Maybe. As she flew around, she could feel the excitement in the area, and she knew exactly what it was all about.

The dragoness hung her head low, what was the point of even staying hidden? She had already shown them enough for them to believe, why doesn't she just fly around, go shake peoples hands, tuck their kids into bed and go cook dinner for them.

She flew down into an alleyway that was a fair distance from most people and turned into her human form. I need to find Bianca, or Lorenzo… or Ash, they can help me see some silver lining to this whole situation. Stepping out into the street, she turned and faced a group of people.

"Yo, Ms. Amber, did you see what happened at this years festival?" The man leading the group alone showed the group's excitement.

Latias tried to put on her most convincing smile. "Uh, yes, I hope you enjoyed the show, along with the dance?"

The man shook his head excitedly." No not that, the legendary guardians appeared! Did you not see that or what?"

"No, no I didn't, I might have been backstage when they supposedly appeared." She was trying not to cry but was finding it hard. "You sure it was them? I mean, a lot of people claim it happens practically every week, maybe it was just an illusion or something. A well thought out trick." Maybe I can just convince them that it was an image, fixing all of this.

However, he shook his head defiantly. "You can tell that to me and everyone at the festival, that dragon breath was real and blew Team Rocket right out of the sky!"

The disguise dragoness ran right past them with tears in her eyes, ignoring they're startled shouts if she was okay. There had to be some way to fix this, some way to make it all go away. But, in her mind, she knew this wasn't true. What she had done was irreversible and would have lasting consequences.

She needed some sort of support or she felt like she was going to collapse in the street right then and there. After a minute of blindly running through Alto Mare's streets, she found it. She she sense an aura, a very familiar aura from that night, it was Ash.

Latias stopped and looked at where it was coming from. He was in a hotel near Bianca and Lorenzo's house, just a few blocks away. She walked in through the sliding glass door as if in a trance and walked past the receptionist's desk, ignoring her warm greeting. Climbing up the stairs she passed by several rooms until she came across one single, wooden door.

The guardian lifted up a hand to knock but she hesitated, would he really want to see her this late at night? Deciding that she wouldn't find out unless she tried, she knocked two small, almost pitiful, knocks on the door and waited. The short time that she waited was excruciating but finally, the door opened to reveal Ash.

"Latias?" He managed to yawn out as he rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here."

She tried to avoid his gaze, feeling oppressed under it but failed. Looking into his eyes she didn't see the disappointment or anger that she saw from her brother, only curiosity. "Is it alright if I come in? I just… I need someone to talk to."

He nodded and held open the door to the room for her to walk through. Complying, she entered into the room with her arms close to her chest. She wanted to make herself appear as small as possible as if it would make everyone forget about her.

The room was small, only a single bed, a window with moonlight seeping through, a desk in the corner with a chair, a bathroom to the right, and a lamp on a nightstand. A lot of hotels in Alto Mare were designed without much entertainment due to space but also to encourage tourists to explore the city.

Latias sat down on the edge of the bed as Ash moved to turn on the lamp but she signaled for him not too, she found the cool moonlight comforting. The pokemon trainer sat down in the chair and moved over to face her. It was silent between the two of them, both of them content to sit there as neither broke the silence.

"Latias, what's wrong?

The words shocked her as she nearly jumped off the bed before realizing Ash had said them. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she shifted uncomfortably in the bed. "It's just that… I…" She couldn't form the words that she wanted, she didn't know how to tell him of the war currently going on within herself.

Ash rolled his chair closer to her and put a reassuring hand on her knee. "I want to help you Latias, I really do, but I don't know what's wrong with you. I need you to help me understand." Concern was plastered all over his face with those words.

"I-I m-messed up, Ash." Her voice was shaking, barely able to get out the words. "I messed up really bad."

Latias started physically shaking as Ash squeezed his hand a little tighter. "How did you mess up Latias?" He paused. "It was because you revealed yourself at the festival, wasn't it?"

The dragoness nodded, tears started to form on the corners of her vision. "We were supposed to stay hidden. That was the one thing behind protecting the Souldew, and I ruined it. Fifty years of silently protecting Alto Mare and I decided to do that."

"We were supposed to be stories, legends." She continued. "We weren't supposed to be considered real but now, that's changed. Now me and Latios are in danger of being discovered. We can't leave Alto Mare, it's our duty to protect it. We can't… "

Latias choked up on her words, when she was all of a sudden wrapped up in a hug. She let out a startled gasp as she hadn't even noticed that Ash had moved next to her.

"Shh.. It's okay," she heard him whisper soothingly in her ear. She brought him into a hug as well, squeezing him tight as she started sobbing into his shoulder. He rubbed a hand along her back as he held her crying form.

"I know that it's bad but this can't just be the end of it all already. Just because the job may have gotten a little more difficult or a little harder does not mean that it is impossible. You two can adapt, I know that you will." Ash hugged her a little tighter, causing her shaking to stop.

"T-thank you, thank you for everything." Latias wished they could have stayed like that forever. Sadly, she couldn't, as she had to get back to the garden.

Reluctantly, she released her hug. "I have to go now, Ash. Thank you for… well, everything."

He looked at her in the eyes, looking embarrassed but concerned. "You know… if Latios is giving you trouble… You could always… you know… stay here?" It seemed as if even the dense trainer was flustered by this.

She herself was blushing wildly, looking away from Ash and at the floor. "Wh-what?" She sputtered. Did he really just ask me to sleep with him? There was only one bed and two of them… alone… in one room. "Uh… I mean, sure!" She shook out those other thoughts out of her head.

Latias sat there unsure of what to do while Ash moved to lay down. "So… are you coming or not?" Ash asked as he laid there. He looked at her, seemingly both embarrassed and nervous.

She could slowly feel all the blood in her body move to her face as it turned it bright red. "Wh-what?!" She squeaked. She did not think he would ever make such a suggestion. Ash, however, seemed relatively unbothered by his somewhat intimate offer.

She wasn't stupid, however, and there was no way she would pass this opportunity by. Not in a million years. Fighting back her blush, she nodded weakly and laid down next to Ash. He threw the covers over her and hugged her, drawing her back to him tightly. "Goodnight, Latias," he whispered, before apparently falling asleep. She felt her heart flutter in her chest as she snuggled. Closer to him, gripping his hand in her own.

It was sometime before she could fight off the thoughts in her head and join him in dreamland.

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Kukui set the phone down on the dresser, grimacing. He had just woken up, when he had gotten a call from Alola regarding Ultra Beasts. It seemed as though there was another "visit" by the odd creatures, although hopefully this would turn out to be less disastrous than the Ultra Space incident.

Unfortunately, this meant their little trip here was to be cut very short. And this also meant Ash would have to say goodbye to his friends in the city. Latias would not be happy.

He himself wasn't happy, either. He never got a chance to study either of the dragons up close, last night being the only time he's actually seen one of them. He sighed, frustrated. Why of all times did we get called back?

As he got dressed, Kukui suddenly had a brain wave. Somewhat devious, but in the long run, would benefit not only the newly formed Ultra Guardians, but himself, as well. And, he smirked, finishing up, Ash.

And speaking of the trainer… It was time to wake them up. Especially Ash, as the boy was prone to sleeping in.

Stretching, the Professor screwed up the hair of his wife, still snoozing. Lightly jumping, she groggily turned, eyes looking bleary. Yawning, she looked at him questioningly. "Why so early? I thought you'd want to sleep in some more. We have all day, in fact."

Grimacing, Kukui shook his head as he headed towards the door. "Unfortunately, we don't. I got a call a little bit ago. Something came up that requires us to go back to Alola." At that, all signs of sleepiness vanished as she sat up quickly. "Go back to Alola? What kind of "something" is this exactly?"

Kukui opened it, and turned with a serious look on his face. "An Ultra Beast something, it seems," before closing the door behind him, leaving a surprised look on her face.

The Professor walked down the hall, knocking on the doors of his students to wake them up. He hated to do this, but this was high priority, and he had to make sure they got to Inland City in time for the plane ride home. Something that he still had to arrange. Hopefully, there was enough time. If not, then they would cross that bridge when they get to it. By the time he finished, everyone was out of their rooms, looking at him, still in their pajamas.

Wait… where's Ash? Shaking his head, Kukui sighed. "Could one of you please wake Ash up?

Lillie spoke up. "I'll do-." She was interrupted by another voice, belonging to Mallow. "No. I'll do it.i still need to apologize for last night."

Everyone coughed awkwardly into their fists, nodding. Kukui shrugged, reaching into his pocket. "In that case, just use this key and get him up." He pulled out the key card handing it to Mallow. She took it, and approached the door to Ash's room. Kukui turned and walked away, wringing his hands. He needed to get everyone out the door fast. But first, he needed to run over to Lorenzo's house and very profusely thank him for his hospitality and for helping him get reservations at the hotel on such short notice.

As he walked down stairs, he heard Ash's door open, Mallow saying, "Wake up, Ash. It's time-."

She stopped abruptly, also freezing Kukui on the spot. He turned, starting to feel concerned. What was wrong? Was Ash not in his room somehow? But where could he have..? Kukui started to walk back, before hearing a loud shriek.

Mallow yelled, "WHAT?! What is she doing in here?"

The professor stopped, confused. She? Who is "she"? A moment later, and he suddenly had a thought. "Ah," he muttered, "'she' is Latias." The adult side of him was hoping Ash and Latias never did anything inappropriate while in there. The logical side knew Ash was probably too dense to know how much Latias liked him, much less do anything of that sort with her. Although, he reflected, I wouldn't completely dismiss the possibility.

He walked back down the hall, curiosity getting the better of his urgency. Everyone was gathered around Ash's door, mouths open. Lana and Lillie were both looking flustered, the blonde more so. Kiawe and Sophocles were both looking impressed, although mostly surprised. The dark-skinned trainer muttered, "Huh. I didn't think he had in him." His wife was standing somewhat back, apparently giggling into her hand. Jogging, Kukui gently pushed his way through and peaked in. It was just as he thought.

Ash was still somehow asleep, although he was lightly stirring. The female clinging to him, however, was quite the opposite. Latias, for obvious reasons, was in her human form. The girl had her arms wrapped tightly around the sleeping trainer, her face completely flushed, with her eyes wide. She looked heavily embarrassed and guilty. "Uh… HI?"

Kukui bit back a smile, a laugh threatening to come loose. "Latias, could you get Ash up, please? It's something quite important." She nodded, and he continued. "Everyone else, get dressed, fast, and go down into the dining area with Extreme Speed." His students, minus Mallow, who was still staring into Ash's room with an angry look, were looking at him curiously. He didn't indulge them as he swiftly ran back down the hall. They were going to have to find out at breakfast, but for now, they just needed to get dressed and go down to the lobby.

Breakfast was a silent affair, the only conversations going on were the ones going on around them. A few of the other residents were shooting their table dirty looks, apparently having been woken up by Mallow's shriek.

The green haired girl was busy scowling at Latias, who had decided to join them, and Ash, who still looked embarrassed from all the attention he had gotten earlier. The poor boy didn't understand why, however, which thoroughly annoyed Sophocles and Kiawe. The raven haired trainer was, surprisingly, not shoveling food into his mouth like normal. This may be due to the fact that Latias was being very ladylike in her actions, somehow making Ash behave normally.

Kukui, coughed into his napkin, before setting it down taking a breath. "I'm sure you are all wondering why we had to wake up so early today." Everyone nodded, looking curious and excited.

Ash turned to Latias. "Did you have something planned for us?"

She merely shook her head, casually scooting closer to him. "No, actually. This is new to me as well. Although I'm sure whatever it is, we can do it together, if you'd like." She blushed severely, looking down and away from Ash.

Before the boy could respond, Kukui shook his head,feeling awkward and guilty about what came next." Yeah about that… I'm afraid that won't be possible."

At this point, the class' expressions of excitement faded slightly. He continued, "I got a call very early today from President Lusamine. It seems an Ultra Beast has popped up in Alola. I'm sure you can probably guess what this means."

The students looked shocked and disappointed, although Mallow had an almost unnoticeable smirk. Ash looked the most affected, looking glum. He glanced over at Latias with a sad sigh. The dragoness was looking between her not-very-secret crush and Kukui, starting to look nervous. Her voice was cautious as she responded, "What's everyone looking so disappointed about? Surely this… Ultra Beast won't be difficult for your law enforcement to take care of, right?"

At that, Ash shook his head, his voice sounding very down. "That's the thing, La-er, Tia. Law enforcement, Officer Jenny, doesn't take care of Ultra Beasts. We, the Ultra Guardians, do. Of course, this is kind of our first official mission, but it's one only we can do. And that means…" He took a breath, before letting it out." That means I… We… Have to go back to Alola. Today. "

Kukui shifted in his seat guiltily, watching Latias' mouth lightly part and she stared at Ash with shock and anguish, tears welling up in her honey-gold eyes, before slowly falling down. "... What?"

**Author's Note: Man, I'm sure you all hate me for taking so long. I must say, writer's block is partially to blame. Another thing to blame is me not outlining before writing.**

**But! It's my longest chapter yet. 7306 words!**

**Which I hope makes up for it. I certainly hope this chapter lives up to expectations.**

**If there's any mistakes, I'll fix them don't worry.**

**And I'll be sure to continue to work on "A Diamond's Guardians", if you've read and enjoyed the prologue.**

**But my writer's block!**

**I couldn't live with my own lack of attempts at writing. And where did that bring me?**

**Back to Google Docs.**

**Also, ItsYeBoiGuzma is responsible for helping me out greatly, and without him, it would be who knows how long before I got past writer's block. He is now my co-author for this.**

**Thank him.**

**How did you like Team Rocket? The spat? The fluff?****Anyway, I've rambled enough.**

** Make sure to Read and Review. And join my discord server, which can be found on this Twitter page: ADD_Mimikyu.**

**Cya for chapter 7, Back to Alola!**

**~Mimikyu **


	7. Back to Alola - Part One

**I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates. I let myself get distracted my two separate spats of anger (involving the same people, believe it or not) and I really am sorry.**

**So, I figured I'd kinda skim through this really quick and give you guys this. Part one of this chapter. You guys deserve that much at least.**

**If have not bothered with separate parts, but after you finish the end of this chapter, I hope you'll understand. In fact, I'm sure you will.**

**Anyway. On with the show!**

**Back to Alola - Part one**

Latios floated above a pond, a scowl set firmly in place. A scowl that he seemed to have reserved for his sister, especially when doing rather stupid things like last night.

Like not coming home at all, despite him telling her to go to sleep. Instead, she decided to wander off, again, and then spend the night with Ash. How did he know this? Because a certain pink pest was floating around, giggling to herself. This pest had come early in the morning, practically cackling, explaining that she had seen Latias go into the hotel. Latios wasn't sure what surprised him more; the fact that his sister could be that daring, or that Mew had apparently not only stayed up late but woke up early in the morning as well.

Unless, he thought, she never actually left Alto Mare at all. Mew always had some trick or scheme up her… Er, sleeve. It wouldn't surprise me if Ash and Latias were simply her latest victims. Could she have somehow drawn Team Rocket here?

He wouldn't put it past the Mythical Menace to do just that, simply for entertainment purposes. Although if she did, she'd have to be far more stupid than she seems. While she didn't exactly think ahead on most occasions, even this was far too extreme. Even so, she should have dragged Latias back here. It is far too dangerous now to let her-

"Hey, Latios. When do you think Latias will be back?" Mew giggled, going back to soaring and looping through the air in amusement, making him grit his teeth. "Mew, that's the third time you've asked that, and the thirtieth time you've laughed about it."

The cat giggled again. "Of course. You know that's how I roll." Latios rolled his eyes so hard, he could practically see his brain. He was about to respond when he heard a rush of air. Looking back towards the entrance, he became more serious, ready to lecture his sister when she came in. He didn't get the chance as a red blur sped past him and into the distant tree they called their nest.

He blinked, nonplussed. What was that about? He noticed Mew become still, and he glanced over to see her staring after Latias, seemingly concerned. Giving the entity next to him a final glance he slowly approached the tree, eventually hearing sobs emanating from her.

Scrunching his brow together, he floated closer. "... Latias?" She didn't look up for a moment, but when she did, it nearly broke his heart. The normally happy dragoness was anything but; instead, she looked more miserable than He's ever seen her, which was definitely saying something. He pushed back any thoughts of rebuking her as he took in a more comforting expression. "Would you like to tell me what's wrong? He didn't… hurt you, did he?"

She flinched and shook her head. "N-no. He didn't hurt me at all. But… but…." Her eyes watered even more before squeezing them shut. Latios placed his clawed hand on her back, rubbing it sympathetically. She sniffed, rubbing her eyes, before looking up at him. "... He's leaving, Latios. He's leaving today, this morning… and I never got to be with him. Now… I'll never be able to see him again. It has barely even been a day and he is already leaving." She looked down, idly scratching lines into the nest before continuing. "Why, Latios? Why must I never obtain happiness?"

He shook his head, sighing. "Latias… You knew that he would be leaving sooner or later. It just so happens that it's sooner."

She didn't say anything, merely curling up tightly. She finally mumbled, "I was hoping that maybe… that maybe I could convince him to stay." Latias looked up suddenly, frowning at him from her tear-stained cheek. "Latios, if you were aware Ash would be leaving, then why did you distract M- that girl so I could dance with him?"

Latios gently stroked her cheek, sighing, "I did it because you were the happiest I have ever seen you when Ash arrived. It reminded me of who you once were, not this sulking pile of feathers."

Latias suddenly picked her head up, eyes bright with excitement. "Let me go with him!"

The statement shook Latios to his core. Let her leave? After she just revealed herself to hundreds of people here? The idea was ludicrous, but it made some slight sense within his head. If she went with Ash she would obviously be happy and he was a trustworthy person in his own book. Plus, it wouldn't keep her locked down here in Alto Mare where people could search for her.

However, this would require Latias leaving him and his protection. To allow his sister out into the world without him seemed foolish in his own right. She would leave behind one of the few safe places that almost no one could find: the Secret Garden. Besides, they were the legendary guardians of Alto Mare; they had a duty to protect the city, its inhabitants, and the Souldew.

Ultimately, he decided against the request.

"Absolutely not." He replied sternly. "You know that most likely, people will come looking for us, now that they are aware we are here. As much as I trust Ash to keep you safe, I don't trust that anyone won't find and try to steal the Soul Dew...again."

Latias growled, irritation flashing in her eyes. "That's a lame excuse, and you know it. The waters around Alto Mare are no longer bound to the Soul Dew. We are free, Latios. We have been for three years. And why? Because of Ash. The only thing that has been keeping us here is that Bianca and Lorenzo live here. We-"

Latios interrupted her at this point, irritation seeping into his voice. "We are guardians. We guard this city. We guard these people. That's why we're here. Bianca and Lorenzo aren't the only ones 'keeping us here'. Our duty to protect Alto Mare and its citizens are."

His sister rose up, level with him. Her normally cheerful eyes were blazing with anger and desperation. "Then maybe I don't want to be a guardian anymore."

Silence permeated the garden, Latios' jaw dropping slightly. Latias shifted slightly before she continuing. "Maybe I actually want to see beyond the city. Maybe I actually want to have fun without having to see the same view I have been for decades. Maybe," she said, her voice dropping and starting to crack, "maybe I want to be able to experience love for more than a day. Maybe I want to wake up every day like I did this morning." When she finished, she abruptly turned and rushed away. Latios didn't attempt to stop her.

He sighed, annoyed with not just his sister, but himself. He honestly felt like he could have handled that better. He was pulled from his thoughts as Mew twirled through the air, stopping at his side. He turned to look at her, in time to see her shake her head. "You know, you really don't have to coddle her. Or the city, for that matter. She made a valid point about the city no longer having to be guarded against misuse of the Soul Dew. It holds almost no power anymore. Alto Mare is, effectively, just another city."

Latios opened his mouth and then closed it again. He had no reasonable argument to that. Mew broke the silence once again, this time with her typically annoying voice. "You would not believe how cute Latias was, sleeping with Ash. In the same bed! They were cuddling and everything, although I doubt that boy knows how intimate that is."

Latios felt a migraine coming as he groaned.

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Ash frowned as he haphazardly stuffed one of his shirts in his suitcase. His expression wasn't because of the pokédex currently flying around his head, although that was certainly wasn't a help, either.

No, his mood was because Latias had suddenly stood up and rushed out of the hotel and into the streets of the city. He knew she enjoyed his company, but not quite to the point where she'd be in tears about him leaving.

What had he done to get such feelings of friendship from the dragoness? He was aware of the fact that Alto Mare was her home, and as such, would feel very protective over it. But that didn't explain why the other legendaries hadn't acted like her in the various times he had saved them.

Then again, he thought, they aren't her. And the majority, if not all of them, are way older than her. Maybe because she is so relatively young?

Shrugging the thought away, he continued to pack. He hoped an opportunity to talk to Latias and say goodbye to her would arise. With an unexpected pang, he realized he'd miss her. Whatever her reason for being attached to him was, he had to admit he didn't mind it. With a mild flush, he recalled this morning when his class had woken him up. Or rather, him and Latias.

He didn't know what had been going through him when he invited her to sleep with him last night. He at first saw it as a way to comfort her, she obviously needed it, but it turned into a weird feeling. A bubbly feeling inside him, one he had felt while they were dancing.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to think what the feeling, the emotion, was.

Before he could ponder further on the issue he heard a soft knock from his room's door, it creaking open as he came face to face with a green-haired girl. Mallow stood there uncomfortably at the entryway, looking down at the ground as to avoid any eye contact.

"Hey, Ash," she started, gripping her hands on the door as she looked up at him, "Do you mind if I could come in? I need to talk to you about something."

He waved his hand absentmindedly. "Sure, come on in." Ash welcomed the distraction, thinking about all of this was making his head hurt. He wasn't too used to these kinds of things and didn't know how to deal with them.

Mallow entered and closed the door softly behind her, walking towards him she held her hands in front of her. "I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday…" she trailed off as she seemed to think for a moment. "And this morning. I don't feel like I am myself right now, I get… homesick a lot, ever since my mom…" She trailed off once more, trying to compose herself at the thought of her mother.

Ash placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, understanding what she was talking about. "It's alright, no need to worry yourself over it." Ever since Mallow's mother died without her being there, she often got worried whenever she would leave friends or family. It had come up a few times during their trip through Johto but never her being this irritable.

"Thank you." She muttered, relaxing her body a bit."Are you… alright? You seemed troubled that we were going to leave so soon. Ever since Latias ran off you were quiet through the rest of breakfast." She looked almost hesitant to ask this.

A sigh escaped his lips, his thoughts returning once again to the dragoness. "Yes… No… I don't know." He sat down on the bed, putting his hands over his face. He simply didn't know what to make of the whole situation. "I'm a little sad that we are going to have to leave so early, I only got to see her for a single day. Now Ultra Beasts are coming back so we have to deal with that. As if things aren't bad enough, Latias seems almost depressed at the thought of me leaving and I don't know why."

"So, Latias isn't coming with us?" She asked, Ash thought he might have heard some hope in her voice.

He looked up and didn't think about it further. "No, she has her own duties here in Alto Mare. She is one of the city's guardians, and this is her home." At least he didn't think she would come. The Soul Dew was now practically unnecessary, so all she really was at this point was an invisible legendary police officer. If she wanted to leave she probably could as she pleased, the only thing really keeping her here were her family.

Relief seemed to come over her face before being quickly replaced with a look of comfort. "Well, you could always visit her later. Of course, after we completely deal with the Ultra Beast threat, which we don't know how long that will be if they are coming back again." Her mood had brightened for some odd reason.

Ash weakly nodded. "I guess, I just hadn't seen her in so long and to just abruptly leave like this. I just feel bad for leaving her here alone again, she obviously missed me a lot more than I thought."

"Do you… feel something else for her?" Mallow had anxiously moved a little closer now.

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know what I feel, this is all just so confusing."

Mallow sat down next to and brought him into a one-armed hug over his shoulder. "Don't worry," She said with a smile. "It will all make sense eventually, I can help out with that." The green-haired girl started leaning in closer to the dense trainer.

"You're right," Ash stood up rapidly, making Mallow clumsily fall down onto the bed in disappointment. "I probably just need to think about it, and I can talk to her about it." If they had enough time, talking with Latias would probably more pieces together than just thinking about it.

"Yeah…" She grimaced, grumbling to herself about something which Ash couldn't pick up. Standing up she regained a skip in her step as she moved towards the door, opening it. "I'll see you down by the docks, no funny business." She quickly left before Ash could reply.

He rapidly shoved his remaining clothes in his bag and zipped it up. Making sure Rowlett was in his backpack, he zipped that up as well and put it on.

Wait. Where is Rotom? Ash shook his head. Ever since the gang had come to Johto, the possessed dex had vanished before coming back sometime later. Hopefully, the same would happen here.

Suddenly, another knock disturbed the silence. Grabbing his suitcase and making sure everything was accounted for, Ash turned and opened the door, where he was met by Professor Kukui. He had an apologetic look on his face.

"Hello Ash, we are going to have to head down to the docks right away. The only boat that leaves early is fifteen minutes from now."

Ash's expression fell at the news. "So we probably won't even be able to say goodbye?"

"Yes, I'm sorry." Kukui tried to avoid his gaze. "We could still say goodbye to Lorenzo and Bianca but we don't know where Latios and Latias are at the moment, and we don't have the time to look for them, I'm afraid."

Ash didn't even bother to look up as he reluctantly nodded his head. "Alright, I'll head down." He knew Latias probably flew off to the Secret Garden, but that was further into the city and he would almost certainly be late if he tried to find her.

"But, she still might show up." Kukui quickly added. "Don't get your hopes down just yet."

The young trainer nodded again and shuffled in place. He looked up at the professor. "We should probably go now. We don't want to miss the boat." Kukui gave a start of surprise as he looked down at his watch.

"I suppose we should, I'll gather everyone up; you head down to the lobby and wait for us there." He sped off to get the others, leaving Ash in his dust.

Sighing, Ash went over and shook Pikachu awake, who thankfully didn't shock him, and walked down the stairs to the lobby. It was almost completely empty, save for the receptionist behind the counter.

Out of the corner of his eye he swore he saw a red blur flash by the glass entrance. Rubbing his eyes he assumed he was just tired before moving over to one of the many scattered seats around the foyer. He heard the door open in the empty silence, turning to face the noise he couldn't react as a red-haired girl tackled straight into his chest.

Ash staggered, taken by surprise at the force behind the hug. Quickly realizing it was Latias, he wrapped his arms around her. She was crying into his neck, keeping him a death grip around his body.

"L-Tia! I didn't think I was going to see you again!" It felt like he was being crushed in her embrace but he didnt care, he was just happy to see her before he had to leave.

She seemed to calm down, if slightly, and looked into his eyes. "Sorry for running off, it's just…" She paused as her face grew a little red. "I don't want to see you leave again, ever since you left I've waited for you to come back. You are one of the few people that really know who I actually am."

Ash wanted to comfort her, to tell her he wouldn't leave her, but he couldn't lie to her. "I want to Tia, I really do, but I can't just abandon my duties as a guardian against the Ultra Beasts. They are still a threat to the people of Alola and I can't leave them when they rely on me."

Latias looked up at him, eyes filled with unimaginable sadness. She continued to gaze up at him, before squeezing her eyes shut as he hugged her a little harder. She didn't say anything, probably understanding due to her own guardian status.

"But I'll come back, sooner this time." He tried to reassure her.

Once again she fell silent, clearly thinking about something. "It won't be three years this time, will it?" There was disbelief within her voice.

"I promise I won't stay away that long again; I'll come back the moment all the Ultra Beasts are dealt with."

She once more opened her eyes, gazing at him desperately with another, unknown emotion in her eyes. He was about to open his mouth to reassure her more, when he was interrupted by Lana's soft voice.

"O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," the bluenette said, looking embarrassed as he glanced over. She was holding her suitcase with one hand. Popplio was at her side, surprisingly quiet.

Ash hesitantly let go of Latias, who backed off somewhat reluctantly. He cleared his voice, throat surprisingly dry, and replied, "N-no, it's fine. Just talking things over, is all." Lana seemed to understand, nodding as she walked further into the lobby. Popplio quickly followed, glancing up at Ash and Latias for a second, before continuing on her way.

They sat in awkward silence as Lana sat down in a chair, all three reluctant to talk. Ash was mildly annoyed as he crossed his arms. He felt he was so close to figuring out what this unknown emotion was. Unfortunately, that was ruined by Lana walking in on them.

He doubted he would get another chance to talk alone with her before he left. To be honest with himself, he wasn't even sure if he could keep the promise this time either.

"Um, I don't think we ever really got to know each other, Tia." Lana started, breaking the silence between the three. "My name is Lana, I'm studying water type Pokémon to become a trial captain over in Alola." She held out a hand for her.

Latias grasped her hand and shook it "I'm Tia, or Amber, or another name I can't mention cause secrets and all that." The disguised dragoness seemed to visibly relax. "You said a trial captain? Is that like a gym leader where you are from?"

"Oh, yes but at the same time not really. You aren't a trial captain for too long like in a gym, it's used as a way to help hone our craft and become masters at the type we specialize in." Lana explained, letting go of her hand.

"We have our own mastery of water challenge here in Alto Mare, called the Tour de Alto Mare." Latias stated with a smile on her face. "It's meant to be a race through the canals to commemorate the saving of the city, however me and my brother often have to save everyone from crashing into walls. Like Ash over here, who went full speed into the wall without any hesitation." She nudged his side playfully.

Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't go full speed, I tried to avoid it."

"With how hard you slammed into me it sure felt like full speed." She countered with a laugh.

Ash was red with embarrassment but took it as the two girls laughed. It was nice seeing Latias so happy after she was so sad about him leaving again, all he wanted to do was see her smile.

"Thing is, I would have won the race for him as well," Her smile was beaming at this point. "But my brother decided that me helping him out was against the rules, apparently."

"When is the Tour de Alto Mare?" Lana asked, seemingly intrigued by this water competition.

"It's in a few days actually, a date is always sent up in advance so the weather can be clear and the canals free of boats." Latias explained. "You could actually do it while you are here… but you are leaving right now." A somber tone over took her as her smile faded.

Ash shuffled his feet, looking slightly guilty. "We could always come back next year to compete, with Lana there it would be a close race."

Latias sighed. "Maybe…" She sat down and looked off into the distance, not focusing on anything around her. Ash and Lana glanced at each other, the atmosphere feeling a little uncomfortable and just slightly awkward. The two slowly eased down in the nearby chairs, occasionally tapping their feet on the floor impatiently.

"I have returned!" A robotic voice sounded throughout the lobby. "My adventure is over!"

Ash groaned. "Not now." The trainer grumbled to himself. Of all the times for Rotom's overdramatics this was not the time for them to happen.

"Now that I have your attention, Ash, you shouldn't have left me in the room." The floating pokedex explained with anger. "I was trying to tell you have twenty nine similar species of Pokémon found in both the Alola region and in Alto Mare. Now I-" He stopped as he finally seemed to notice Ash giving him the motion to cut it out.

"Not now." Ash mouthed to him. Rotom seemed to droop a little bit as he protested. "But-"

He stopped as Ash glared at him. "Not now," the trainer quietly hissed. Rotom dropped further, looking glum at first before spinning and replying. "You won't escape my data results, Ash! Mark my words!" And with a final glance around, the Dex shot up the stairwell.

A quick scuffle on the stairs sounded the arrival of Mallow as she attempted to fix her green hair. Spotting Ash she ignored it and put on a smile. "Hi, Ash!" She called out in a chipper voice.

Kukui followed after, along with the rest of Ash's classmates. He waved over the trio. "Glad to see you two are packed." He shot a sorry look over to Latias who wasn't looking. "Are you all ready to leave."

Ash did a mental check of everything he had before coming to a sudden realization: Pikachu was missing. Before he could ask anything a grey and yellow ball tumbled down the stairs, out sprung Pikachu who ran to get on top of Ash's head. Togedemaru sat there looking saddened at his departure.

"Sorry sorry sorry!" A voice called down as Sophocles appeared, panting and out of breath. "Togedemaru snuck Pikachu out of your room somehow, I don't know why she would do that."

Ash just sighed and waved that he was fine, there was enough to think about all ready and he didn't want to add yet another problem on top of that. Latias' problems seemed a lot more important than Togedemaru acting a little weird.

He turned his attention towards Kukui, who seemed to be trying to get everyone else organized and out the door. Professor Burnet appeared at the doorway, and walked over to her husband to help.

Ash shook one of Latias' shoulders, catching her attention. She looked up out of her hands the somber look still all over her face, overshadowing any happiness she may have had. "What?" She asked.

"I thought you'd like to be able to at least see us off."

She only nodded as he took one of her arms and helped her out of her seat.

Kukui clapped his hands together, getting everyone's attention. "Alright, follow me. I'll explain why we have to leave as we walk." The class nodded mutely, gathering their respective suitcases, Rotom flying back down and whizzing around their heads. As a group, they walked out of the lobby, the receptionist calling out good yes behind them.

Each of them looked around one last time, before heading towards the docks. Kukui cleared his throat as they started walking. "Early this morning, I got a call from the Aether Foundation. More specifically, Lusamine. She has informed me that an Ultra Wormhole has opened up, and something came through. We highly suspect that this is, of course, an Ultra Beast, and as such, Lusamine and Wicke have decided to dub this creature "UB-02 Absorption".

Latias interrupted with a quiet but curious voice. "Ultra Beast? What is that?"

Kukui turned to look at her. "It's a Pokémon- we think, at least- from what we can only assume is an alternate dimension. The first one we encountered was absolute trouble for us. That's why it's really important for us to get this one back through the Wormhole."

Latias nodded, falling silent again.

Ash tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Did you find out where this Ultra Beast is?" Kukui nodded, before replying, "I'll tell you on the way. We've got just a little bit further." the group acknowledged this and continued forward.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It seemed with every second, Latias' heart only grew heavier and heavier, each step bringing them closer to her love's departure. She hadn't bothered listening to their conversation, only wishing they were walking away from the docks instead of to them. Latias had a practical death grip on Ash's hand, not eager to let it go. He hadn't questioned it, merely seeming to understand.

The dragoness was tempted to enter his mind and see what he was thinking, but she wouldn't breach his privacy without his permission.

The dreary clouds up above seemed to fit the situation almost too perfectly, hiding any of the sun's warmth from reaching the surface.

As the docks came into view, she squeezed her eyes shut for a second, heart clenching. A lone tear made its way down her face, before dropping onto the cold ground. The turbulent waves crashed rhythmically against the dock, rocking the boat along with it.

"It'll all be okay, I promise, I'll be back sooner than you know it." Latias looked in the trainer's eyes as he said this, despite seeing the confidence within them she wasn't sure if she could actually believe it. He had said it so many times that to her it didn't matter to her anymore, she just wanted to make these last few moments last.

She quickly gathered him up in a bone-crushing hug, burrowing her face into his shoulder. He hugged back a moment later, rubbing her back in what could be described as an attempt to make her feel better.

It didn't work.

When she finally opened her eyes and pulled back, she looked up into Ash's eyes, seeing sympathy. No words needed to be spoken between them, both knowing it would only make their parting harder. With some difficulty, they pulled away from each other, as the clouds grew darker. They looked at each other one last moment before Ash turned away and boarded the boat.

The class muttered their goodbyes to her, before following him. Kukui paused before her, looking sympathetic and regretful. "I'm really sorry. I wished we hadn't have to leave, but… Alola needs us. Ash included."

She nodded mutely, looking down. Kukui seemed to sigh, before he boarded the boat as well. Burnet now stood before her, giving her a gentle hug. "Maybe we can fly you over to Alola some time. Then he won't have to wait." Latias looked up at her. "R-really? You'd do that?"

The professor smiled, replying in a gentle tone. "Of course. I'll convince Kukui to, although I doubt he needs much convincing. After all, we both see how much you love Ash."

The dragoness choked in her tongue, going a little red. "Am I that obvious?"

Burnet replied with a small laugh. "To everyone but Ash, yes. I'm very sure one could figure it out in no time at all." Latias nodded, the embarrassment not quite overcoming her sorrow. The professor opened her mouth, before closing it again. She patted Latias on the shoulder before following her husband onto the boat.

The whole class waved goodbye as the boat started up. Latias looked into Ash's eyes even as he looked into hers.

The boat departed from the docks, two sad faces gazing at each other, getting further apart. Ash kept his eyes on her, although looking away a moment later. It was all Latias could do, watching as the boat got further and further away. As it disappeared from sight, Latias fell on her knees, letting all the sorrow and pain out with agonizing sobs. Thunder crashed overhead as the rain started to fall, washing away the tears streaming down her face.

**Author's Note: So yeah. All that happened. I hope you can see now why I'm dividing the chapter up. I wanted Latias' sadness to be the last thing to be in this chapchapter, in the hope you will be affected likewise. I'm still messing with it, but I'm sure you'll feel at least a little sad. When the actual sad part comes later on, it'll be better than this. I promise.**

**I have ItsYeBoiGuzma to thank for dealing with my stupid, non-updating self. He really helped me get out of the corner I wrote myself into.**

**I also have more to thank. All of you, for sticking with me. Even after this story started slowing down updates.**

**Again. Thank you.**

**See you in part 2, hopefully. And as always, read review!**

**~Mimikyu**


	8. REBOOT NOTICE

ADD has been rebooted. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thought this version was weak and just went in a cycle.

Please see my profile for the Prologue!


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